The Osbournes turns 20: Read an oral history of the groundbreaking MTV family reality show

The Ringer

Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly Osbourne became instant reality sensations when The Osbournes premiered on MTV on March 5, 2002. Thanks to The Osbournes, which ran for four seasons through 2005 and was inspired by a 2000 MTV Cribs episode, the Prince of Darkness earned a reputation as a doddering homebody. "Those who tuned in to the MTV series were treated to a glimpse inside the Osbourne home, where they saw their Prince of Darkness living life off-stage as a sweatpants-loving fan of WWII documentaries," says Marah Eakin in introducing The Osbournes oral history. '"He also clearly loved his family, including Sharon, daughter Kelly, and son Jack. It was a risk for Ozzy to sign on to the reality show. In the eyes of fans, metal gods didn’t have families. They also didn’t frequently stumble into piles of dog sh*t. But The Osbournes revealed that, no matter what he was doing, Ozzy was a star, full stop...The Osbournes did more than change how society looked at Ozzy. It launched the world of celeb-reality, leading in short order to shows from Gene Simmons, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, and just about every other celebrity who was willing to let strangers with cameras into their home. It arguably led to the prevalence of family reality shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and it launched the media careers of Sharon, Kelly, and Jack Osbourne, who have dabbled in everything from chat shows to pop music."