After Ozzy shaped the sound of heavy metal, he became a reality TV star. Here's a look back at the iconic moments from his MTV show, "The Osbournes." When Ozzy Osbourne starred in the MTV reality show The Osbournes, it changed TV forever, as well as how we thought of Ozzy. After Ozzy shaped the sound of heavy metal, he became a reality TV star. Here's a look back at the iconic moments from his MTV show, "The Osbournes." In 2002, Ozzy Osbourne didn’t seem like an obvious bet for reality TV. The cocaine-guzzling, bat-munching wildman of heavy metal had first found fame as the frontman of Black Sabbath in the Watching it today is a reminder of how this rock legend also became a reality TV trailblazer - and how, in his own chaotic, lovable way, Ozzy Osbourne changed the way we watched reality television. It’s a very sad day in the world of both music and reality TV, as The Osbournes ‘ patriarch Ozzy Osbourne passed away. He was 76 years old. Ozzy Osbourne was an absolute legend as the frontman The Osbournes is an American reality television series featuring the domestic life of heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and his family—his wife Sharon, their daughter Kelly, and their son Jack. The series premiered on MTV on March 5, 2002, and, in its first season, was cited as the most-viewed series ever on MTV. The final episode aired on March 21, 2005. Critic’s Notebook: Ozzy Osbourne Created the Template for Reality TV Celebrity Reinvention, From Flavor Flav to Donald Trump Transformed by 'The Osbournes' from bird-biting Prince of Darkness Before the Kardashians, David and Victoria Beckham or Alec Baldwin got reality TV shows, there was "The Osbournes." In the wake of Ozzy Osbourne's death, a look back at the reality show starring When Ozzy Osbourne Became the Most Unlikely Relatable Reality TV Dad “The Osbournes” turned the heavy metal innovator into a reality TV star. Here are some moments that defined the show’s run. Ozzy Osbourne’s former reality TV crew is grieving the heavy metal icon after his shocking death at 76. Cameron Glendenning, who worked as a camera operator and technical supervisor on “The In 2002, Ozzy Osbourne didn’t seem like an obvious bet for reality TV. The cocaine-guzzling, bat-munching wildman of heavy metal had first found fame as the frontman of Black Sabbath in the Without the Osbournes you'd have no Kardashians - how Ozzy and his family pioneered the reality TV genre that has taken over the world with one of the funniest fly-on-the-wall shows you'll ever Ozzy Osbourne was an architect of heavy metal music, but that’s not the only medium in which he blazed a trail. The rocker, who died Tuesday at the age of 76, also helped shape reality television. “The Osbournes” changed reality TV forever. And Ozzy’s muttering, cursing, rocker take on Mr. Cleaver was the secret sauce. Ozzy Osbourne was a heavy metal icon. He was also an unlikely reality TV pioneer on "The Osbournes," with his wife Sharon and kids Kelly and Jack. As the sad news of Ozzy Osbourne's death breaks, we look back at some of Ozzy's most memorable moments from the family reality TV show The Osbournes which aired from 2002 - 2005 With the death of Ozzy Osbourne, former MTV boss Van Toffler remembers the success of "The Osbournes," and how it impacted both MTV and reality TV. The Osbournes changed Ozzy’s image from grisly to cuddly, and changed reality TV Ozzy Osbourne's image forever changed with the 2002 debut of his family reality show But more than that, it made a star of the domesticated version of Ozzy Osbourne, and in the process changed reality TV. In 2025, when virtually every variety of celebrity has had a reality show, it’s hard to see what a novelty the series was. MTV sold it as television’s first “reality sitcom.”
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |