Sharon Osbourne Explains The Reason Ozzfest Ended

Here’s what Sharon Osbourne has to say on why the Ozzfest has ended.

In the latest episode of The Osbournes Podcast, the Ozzfest was brought up in the discussion, and the reason why it has come to an end, as explained by Sharon.

Ozzfest is a music festival tour founded by Sharon and her husband Ozzy Osbourne held annually in some parts of the United States, Europe, and even in Japan starting from year 1996 to 2018. For many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups, this festival played a huge role in jumpstarting their careers and making their mark in the industry.

That is why it was appreciated by the rock and metal community throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s. Interestingly, the Ozzfest was supposed to be a one-time event when it first took place in 1996, but because of its massive success, it became a tour the following year.

Thus, making the Ozzfest took place almost every year until 2018. However, in 2008, it was reverted to a single-day event. There also came 2010 wherein it only took place in a couple of different cities, then every other year, it was only limited to one location.

The recorded final run of the event was held in the New Year’s Eve of 2018 in Inglewood, California. Concertgoers have seen Ozzy, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Jonathan Davis, Body Count, Zakk Sabbath, DevilDriver, and Wednesday 13 performed on one stage. Unfortunately, it did not push through the following years because it was “no longer cost-effective” as per Sharon.

Through the family’s recent podcast episode, Sharon was given a voice to speak about what went down at the festival. She said:

“It was a very weird beast because all the bands were our mates, but the managers were greedy, and for some reason, they thought that we were making billions on it and we weren’t. We made a profit. But it was not like — we couldn’t retire on it. And managers and agents wanted more and more and more, and it just wasn’t cost-effective anymore. We stopped, because it just wasn’t cost-effective.”

Sharon had not also forgotten to recall this one time that one of the bands refused to go onstage to perform unless she gave them an additional $10,000. If she can recall it correctly, it was during the second or third year of the festival. For the sake of not ruining the flow of the event, Sharon agreed to their request.

And when her son, Jack, asked her which act she was referring to, Sharon revealed that it was Danzig. Sharon added:

“And then they went on and played, and I didn’t give them the money. I went, ‘Fuck you. You signed a contract, your agent agreed it, and you’re just gouging.'”

The full episode of The Osbournes Podcast can be watched below.