Jack Osbourne on Working With Family, ‘Special Forces World’s Toughest Test’ & ‘Night of Terror’

Scott Fishman September 24, 2023, 1:00 pm

Jack Osbourne on 'Special Forces: World's Toughest Test' — Pete Dadds/FOX

Jack Osbourne was barely old enough to drive when The Osbournes reality TV show premiered 21 years ago. Since then he has grown up in the public eye and become more than just the son of the “Prince of Darkness” Ozzy and his business-savvy wife Sharon. The reality star turned television personality parlayed his success into numerous business ventures and countless shows, most recently in the paranormal space.

Among those most recent projects is Jack Osbourne’s Night of Terror, which returns with new episodes on Travel Channel as part of their “Ghostober” slate of programming. The 37-year-old is also among an eclectic mix of celebs and well-known athletes who enlisted in the upcoming second season of Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

Here Jack, who just got married to long-time girlfriend Aree Gearhart, talks about the grueling Special Forces experience and what it’s like working with his famous family for so long.

You’re bringing back The Osbournes Podcast. I think back to The Osbournes reality TV show on MTV before the Kardashians, Chrisleys, etc. Now there is all this anticipation for a reboot. What do you make of all those family-type reality shows that have come after yours?

Jack Osbourne: When I was younger, I got a bit territorial. As I get older, I think it’s great. We helped participate in the first wave that helped pioneer a genre, by all accounts, that was low-hanging fruit and something that wasn’t viable. Back then, celebrities didn’t allow cameras in their house. You were considered trashy if you did. Some people to this day might, but I would disagree. I feel okay with it. I like we were part of something that changed the landscape.

After all this time, how is it working with your family to this day?

There are definitely pros and cons to working with family as anyone will tell you. I always enjoy it. I’ve done a ton of work with my family over the years and always found it enjoyable. I think the hardest thing honestly is just getting everyone at the same place at the same time.

Sharon, Ozzy, Kelly, and Jack Osbourne pose in the Osbourne family home in Los Angeles during the production of Portal To Hell, hosted by Jack Osbourne.

Left to Right, Sharon, Ozzie, Kelly and Jack Osbourne pose in the Osbourne family home in Los Angeles during the production of Portal To Hell, hosted by Jack Osbourne.

You also have the fam part of your Night of Terror in different facets where you visit more haunted locales. They seem like such good sports. I know your mom even had quite a health scare during filming.

My parents and sister Kelly got involved in some of it. The stuff that happened with my mom was kind of crazy. She was filming and had this very strange thing happen to her. I don’t want to give it all away. It was really serious. She stopped breathing. There was an ambulance that transported her, and she was in the hospital for a couple of days. The strangest thing about the whole process with her is that doctors couldn’t find a single thing wrong with her. It leaves a lot of what the f*ck did we all witness vibe regarding what happened to her. I have my theories, but it was really intense and scary. It kind of goes with the overarching theme of the season. We had a lot of very strange, really creeping things happen.

In other episodes, you’re also having Jenny McCarthy, Jason Mewes, and Jamie Kennedy. When you call up friends and your name shows up, are friends now apprehensive to pick up wondering what they’re getting into next?

There is definitely a level of that for sure, but Jason and Jamie are up for it now. They have the bug of doing paranormal stuff. It’s going to be an adventure no matter what.

Speaking of paranormal shows, I was sad to find out Portals to Hell isn’t continuing.

Portals to Hell not continuing sucks. There is a lot of paranormal programming that is in limbo. The Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, although great for the board and stock prices and all that, hasn’t been so great for content creators. We’ve all been kind of put in limbo. Unfortunately, Portals to Hell was a victim of that merger. I loved working with Katrina [Weidman]. We’re still doing stuff together with podcasts. I would love to continue to work together, but if we did a show, it would be considered a spinoff, or we would have to get this other production involved. It’s a bit more complicated than going out and doing another show together.

Where did your fascination with the paranormal come from?

It all came from growing up in the era of X-Files. It was the biggest show when I was a kid, and I was obsessed with it. It made me curious at a really young age. As I got older, I put it behind me. Then after doing travel shows for a long time, I got a phone call in 2011 asking if I would want to do a paranormal travel show. I was on board. It just led to more. It’s wild. Honestly, I’ve been lucky to where the paranormal community fan base is incredibly loyal and trusting of my style of investigating and my approach to it. You see a lot of celebrity paranormal shows come and go. But success ultimately comes down to trust from the audience.

In the role of president of Osbourne Media, what have you learned from what your mom has done in building a business?

It’s funny because it’s something I reflect on a lot as I go through this process. It’s not too dissimilar to what my mom went through creating Ozzfest. Ozzfest was born because they wouldn’t book my dad on Coachella. She said, “F*ck it. We’ll do it ourselves.” I see the writing on the wall with entertainment now. In my opinion, the gravy train has ended with mainstream media and creating content for those platforms. You’re seeing the strikes in Hollywood.

The plight of streaming has caught up with scripted. We all have a platform and cultivate these careers independently of each other. Why not just circle the wagons and we just be our own boss? It’s all good and well to have a TV show, but you’re working for someone. Our entire livelihood is determined by a network or an outlet. I’m over that. I don’t want to ultimately solely work for TV networks anymore. I want to work for myself. That’s kind of what we’re doing. We’re going to put together an amazing team and hit the ground running.

Even though your dad Ozzy had to step away from performing and touring regularly, he looks to be having a good time staying busy with other outlets like a podcast. How has that been from your eyes to see that transition?

He is an actual beast when it comes to podcasting. He does three podcasts a day when we are recording. His are 30-45 minutes granted, but he loves it. I think fans will enjoy it because it’s just my dad talking about anything and everything. His co-host Billy Morrison is his best friend, so the conversation is really that quintessential stereotype pitch of a podcast where people are just listening to a conversation between two friends.

Lastly, I want to dig into Special Forces. What motivated me to sign up for this? How did you prepare?

The moment I heard the show was coming back I had my agent throw my name in the hat for it. The shittiest thing about the whole process is I was given 10 days’ notice I was doing the show. I had zero time to properly train. Everyone was pretty quick for the most part, but JoJo [Siwa] said she had three months. She came in ripped condition, ready to go. Meanwhile, I’m like the slow guy in the back. The only way I prepared was by doing a ton of squats and a ton of pushups. I knew I wasn’t going to get my cardio to drastically improve in 10 days, so I focused on trying not to be really sore when they pushed us.

Is there anyone in the cast that surprised you?

JoJo blew me away. She is such an impressive young woman. I even said this while we were in it. I said, “If my daughters end up being half the way you are, I would be proud.” She has an amazing work ethic. She is really freakin’ smart, an amazing athlete. Her head is screwed on the right way. I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve developed a great bond with Bode Miller. What a crazy journey and story. What an insane athlete. Nick [Viall] was amazing. Kelly [ Rizzo] and I stayed in touch. She actually came on my podcast recently. What a great woman. I was really impressed given the journey she has had as of late. Honestly, everyone was great. Hats off to the producers because everyone in there had such a unique journey and story. They were in there for their own reason. It was cool to learn everyone’s why while there.

Discovery

How do you think it compares to what you watched in the first season?

It’s very, very, cold. We were wet and shivering a lot of the time. The thing that doesn’t translate is just the way the show is constructed. The living conditions we’re in are f*ckin brutal. It’s more akin to jail if I’m being honest. You’re given two uniforms, two pairs of socks, and one pair of boots. You don’t have any toiletries other than things like contact lenses, vitamins, and deodorant. It’s as barebones as it gets. I actually snuck in a little tiny milk chocolate bar where I thought, “When I’m feeling really sh*tty, I’m going to eat this.” It was my morale booster. It was brutal. They do not pull punches on that show. It’s an ass-kicker. It was way more of an ass-kicker than I thought.