Kelly Osbourne's entire life was put on display as soon as the groundbreaking reality series premiered on MTV in 2002. Of course, she was entirely game for it. But there's no doubt that Kelly didn't know what she was getting herself into. For years, Kelly has had to deal with an incredible amount of bullying and perhaps even more scrutiny regarding her weight gains and losses than other reality stars. And that's mostly because The Osbournes was one of the most important shows in the genre. It blew the door wide open for the less gritty Keeping Up With The Kardashians and even The Real Housewives.
The Osbournes gave Kelly an opportunity to build a career for herself outside of her rockstar father and TV personality mother's shadows. But it also presented her with a number of problems that she's been increasingly more vocal about over the years. However, it seems Kelly struggled with elements of the show as she was making it. In a recent interview with The Ringer, in celebration of The Osbournes' 20th Anniversary, producers of the show shed light on the truth about Kelly's complicated relationship with The Osbournes.
How Old Was Kelly On The Osbournes?
In an interview with Pickler and Ben, Kelly Osbourne claimed that she grew up on a tour bus. While she got to spend a lot of time with her father, rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, most of what they did together was centered around his career. It wasn't exactly a typical upbringing by any stretch of the imagination. Then, at the age of 16, her youth was made even more different. Cameras flooded her home and everything she did and said was filmed, edited, and released to the public.
"It was already difficult enough to be 16 and go through my fugly awkward stage and then have everyone judge you for it," Kelly told Pickler and Ben, referring to how much bullying she has had to deal with in terms of her looks. "But, at first, I just thought I was cool because I was going to be on MTV."
Like many 16-year-olds, the thrill of being famous for basically just being herself was intoxicating. But as the show took off, Kelly saw some of the darker sides to fame.
Kelly Osbournes' Real Feelings About Becoming A Reality Star
Kelly has claimed that she had no idea that anyone would really be paying attention to her. She thought it would really be about her dad and her mom, Sharon Osbourne. Of course, she was wrong about that. Soon everyone had an opinion about her. They judged the way she ate, the way she dressed, and told her she didn't know what she was talking about. Some probably could ignore this, but not Kelly. She couldn't pry herself away from reading the terrible things people were saying.
But the public bullying Kelly faced wasn't the only challenging part of being on the show. According to the interview with The Ringer, Kelly constantly felt manipulated by the filmmaking experience. Since reality shows are never truly reality, the producers needed to produce segments of the Osbournes' lives in order for them to appeal to audiences.
"Jack always knew what it was. You could tell he had the filmmaker gene," Greg Nash, The Osbournes editor, said to The Ringer. "He understood that if he could just be his natural self and not give a s***, it would come off funny and cool. Kelly was a little more on guard and a little more aware, and maybe that’s why she had a little bit of a sour experience sometimes."
"Kelly, at that time in her life, was a fan of Britney Spears and Britney Spears was huge," executive producer Greg Johnston said. "We made a suggestion like, 'Hey, we can get you tickets. It would be funny if you and Ozzy went.' I just remember Kelly calling me, 'f*** you. You’re trying to manipulate me.'"
Kelly tended to also feel manipulated into having conflicts with her family for the sake of entertainment.
"The way Kelly and Jack would fight is the way all siblings bicker. The language they used and their life experiences were different, though, and that was part of the comedy," editor David Tedeschi explained. "On the one hand, it was like any brother and sister. On the other hand, they often had these exaggerated circumstances. That was ultimately the attraction for us and maybe for everybody. They are a loving family with unusual circumstances. Working on the show, we weren’t just endeared to them. We were very protective of the family, and especially of Jack and Kelly."
Sharon And Ozzy Osbourne's Eldest Daughter Didn't Want To Make The Show
Unlike Kelly, Sharon and Ozzy's eldest daughter, Aimee, wanted absolutely no part in the MTV show. The producers, mainly season one segment producer Henriette Mantel, understood why she didn't want to be a reality star.
"[Aimee] was nice. She just said, 'No way.' I don’t blame her. She was smart. She didn’t want to take the risk and they didn’t care that she didn’t want to do it," Henriette said in an interview with Vice.
While Kelly and her brother Jack were all about the prospect of fame, Aimee thought that being on the reality show would ruin her own career aspirations. Even though both Jack and Kelly suffered an assortment of consequences of being on the show, both of their careers took off as a result of The Osbournes' success.
