Piers Morgan has hit out at the treatment of his friend Sharon Osbourne at the hands of US chat show The Talk.

The programme has been taken off air for two days following a row between Osbourne and one of her co-hosts about Morgan’s reaction to the Meghan Markle interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Osbourne had been one of the first to support Morgan, who parted company with Good Morning Britain after refusing to apologise for his comments about the duchess.

But her co-host Sheryl Underwood said Osbourne’s reaction ‘gave validation’ to Morgan’s ‘racist’ views.

Osbourne said on the show: “Tell me when you have heard him say racist things. Educate me.”

She added: “I feel like I’m about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend who many people think is racist, so that makes me a racist.

“For me at 68 years of age to have to turn around and say, ‘I ain’t racist’, what’s it got to do with me? How can I be racist about anybody or anything in my life?”

TV network CBS has launched an internal investigation, and has taken the show off air on Monday and Tuesday.

Osbourne later apologised for her part in the heated exchange, saying she ‘panicked, felt blindsided [and] got defensive’.

Morgan responded: “Sharon’s been shamed and bullied into apologising for defending me against colleagues accusing me of racism because I don’t believe Meghan Markle.

“I demand an apology from those @TheTalkCBS bullies for their disgraceful slurs against ME.”

In a statement announcing its investigation, CBS said: “We are committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace. All matters related to the Wednesday episode of The Talk are currently under internal review.”