Ozy Media founder Carlos Watson lied about Ozzy Osbourne’s investment, says Sharon Osbourne

Two years ago, Carlos Watson, co-founder and CEO of Ozy Media, told CNBC on a live television broadcast that heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, music industry manager and former talk show host Sharon Osbourne, have become friends with him. and invested in his business after a legal battle.

“Fun fact: Our friend Ozzy and Sharon briefly chased us, then we decided to be friends and now they’re investing in Ozy,” Watson said on CNBC at the time. (You can watch the video above.)

It turns out that none of this was true, according to Sharon Osbourne, who spoke to CNBC on Thursday just as hedge fund honcho Marc Lasry resigned as chairman of Ozy Media.

Lasry’s resignation and the revelation of Sharon Osbourne came days after the New York Times reported that an Ozy executive impersonated a YouTube official during a February call with Goldman Sachs for a potential investment of $ 40 million. Beyond Lasry’s resignation, veteran journalist Katty Kay resigned from Ozy Media and investor SV Angel has decided to give up his shares in the company.

“This guy is the biggest crook I’ve ever seen in my life,” Osbourne said, referring to Watson, just after CNBC answered his phone call. Osbourne said she considered Watson’s request after CNBC contacted her team with the details following the various controversies surrounding Ozy Media.

The Osbournes filed a trademark complaint in 2017 over the name Ozy Fest, which is Ozy Media’s annual concert and festival. The Osbournes for years produced a metal music festival called Ozzfest, which featured bands such as Ozzy Osbourne’s original band, Black Sabbath, Tool and Slayer.

Osbourne told CNBC that Watson tried to intimidate him after the complaint was filed, saying his company had a ton of resources and could prolong the legal battle so much that the family should have continued to pay exorbitant legal fees. .

Osbourne said the two sides settled after the couple finished paying around $ 300,000 in legal fees for the trademark battle between Ozy Media and the Osbourne company.

The Wrap reports that court documents filed against Ozy Media at the time claim that the Ozy Fest marks “are almost identical in sight, sound, connotation and commercial impression to MLC’s famous Ozzfest mark.”

Court documents say the settlement came in 2018. Osbourne shared details of the deal with CNBC.

“He couldn’t have the kind of artists that we have on our bill,” Osbourne said, referring to Watson. “So he couldn’t have rock or alternative artists on his bill. Because he was starting to take rap artists and we had a few rap artists. So I’m like ‘this is getting ridiculous now’ . So he had to approve the invoices with me and he had to approve the advertising with me. “

An Ozy Media spokesperson did not return repeated emails seeking comment on Osbourne’s remarks.

Watson and his company have come under increasing scrutiny since a New York Times report detailed a number of controversies at Ozy Media. The report describes a case where an Ozy Media executive allegedly impersonated a YouTube representative during a phone call with Goldman Sachs, which was considering investing in the Watson company. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reportedly started investigating the phone call.

Watson, a former MSNBC contributor and CNN host, founded Ozy Media in 2013. The company produces online articles and television shows. He has attracted the support of several big investors and celebrities, such as former New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez. Dr Anthony Fauci and Mark Cuban have appeared at Ozy events.

In 2019, Watson, as he sat next to investor Ozy and future President Lasry, told CNBC that after the lawsuit with the star couple was settled, they became investors in his company. Lasry, a hedge fund manager and part owner of NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, was named chairman of the board of directors of Ozy Media in September.

After being asked if the Osbours had invested in Ozy, Watson said, “Now they’re investors. They’re family.” He was appearing on CNBC to promote Ozy Fest, which was due to take place in New York at the time. CNBC was the media partner for the Ozy Fest 2019, which was canceled due to the extreme heat.

Osbourne, a longtime television personality herself, said neither he nor her husband had ever been shareholders in the company. Sharon Osbourne left the daytime talk show “The Talk” this year following a heated conversation on the air and an internal investigation.

“We’re never, ever a friend, and we have no interest in his business,” Osbourne said in response to Watson’s claims in the CNBC interview. When asked if she and her husband had ever invested in Watson’s business, Osbourne replied, “You must be kidding. We never invested in anything.”

Osbourne said her husband, Ozzy Osbourne, had never spoken or met Carlos Watson, while she and Watson only spoke by phone.

“He’s crazy,” Osbourne said of Watson. She noted that during the legal battle, he offered her shares in the company, but she declined the offer.

“To be honest he said, ‘Well, we’ll give you some stock in the company, but I said’ your company is not worth anything ‘. He said, “We have all this support. All these billionaires. And you know we can keep chasing you and I can give you some stock.” But I’m like, “Sharing what? What are you doing?”

Watson, according to Osbourne, repeatedly tried these tactics during these conversations.

“Then he tells me he has billions behind him because his main shareholder in the company is the wife of a guy who died [and ran] Apple, ”said Osbourne, referring to Laurene Powell Jobs of Emerson Collective. He also used Powell Jobs’ wealth as a bullying factor, according to Osbourne. “We have his money behind us. I’ll fight you to the end, “Osbourne said, Watson told him.

“I’m like ‘But it’s not fair that you stole that name,” Osbourne said.

Watson has appeared on CNBC several times, including in January this year – when he was on a panel with Ben Smith, the New York Times editor-in-chief who broke the story this weekend of the call from Goldman Sachs.

Dan Mangan of CNBC contributed to this article.