Ozzy Osbourne’s son Jack Osbourne opens up about how his multiple sclerosis diagnosis affected his career.
While speaking at Steel City Con in Monroesville, Pennsylvania, on Friday, the 39-year-old media personality explained that following his MS diagnosis in 2012, he was declared an “insurance risk” and that he “couldn’t get hired on productions.” ” for a while.
“Professionally, it was a problem at first,” Jack explained at the convention, according to People. “They were like, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s too dangerous. … So I lost my job and I found it really insulting.’
Jack received his diagnosis at the age of 26, just weeks after welcoming his eldest daughter, Pearl, with ex-wife Lisa Stelly.
Jack Osbourne (FOX via Getty Images)
KELLY OSBOURNE SAYS SHE ‘ALMOST DIED’ AFTER BROTHER JACK OSBOURNE SHOT HER WITH PELLET GUN
As a producer, Jack understood the demands of the job and didn’t think it was fair for others to assume what he was capable of. He now produces horror and haunted house-themed travel shows, such as “Jack Osbourne’s Night of Terror” and “Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour.”
“I know what it means to be a producer. We’re not that smart,” he explained. “And you’re going to sit there and, like, a producer is going to tell me what I can or can’t do neurologically. [issue]? I’m like, ‘No. Damn, man. Stay in your lane. “
According to the Mayo Clinic, MS is a degenerative neurological disease in which “the immune system attacks the myelin sheath or the cells that produce and maintain it.” Its symptoms most commonly include numbness, muscle weakness, and difficulty walking, and some people lose the ability to walk completely.
“They were like, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s too dangerous. … So I lost my job and I found it really insulting.’
Although these are common symptoms for most, Jack said this has not been his experience with the disease. He acknowledged how lucky he was to have had MS without “having huge problems over the years”.
Jack participated in season 17 of “Dancing with the Stars”. (Adam Taylor/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU READ? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“Some things here and there, but nothing life-changing so far, and that’s why I count my blessing,” he said. “I exercise a lot. My thing is ‘body in motion stays in motion’. Keep it up. I try to eat right. I like doing things. I like doing jiujitsu and hiking .
Although he always knew what his body was capable of, he explained that he needed a public display of his strength to get back on track in terms of working out.
“What really changed for me, as weird as it sounds, I did ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and I did really well,” he explained. “After that, everyone was like, ‘Oh, he’s fine.'”
Jack recently appeared on the second season of FOX’s “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.” Although he enjoyed being on the show, Jack was medically removed after six episodes when he woke up with an elevated heart rate two days in a row.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Jack was sent home after six episodes of “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” for medical reasons. (FOX via Getty Images)
He told Entertainment Weekly in a November 2023 interview that while his departure was due to medical reasons, his MS was not the cause. He left because of a potassium deficiency.
WATCH: Jack Osbourne Reveals Why He Withdrew From ‘Special Forces: The World’s Toughest Test’
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I’m putting on my producer’s hat. The show needs people to give up. The doctor on the show is a real doctor,” he told the outlet. “He could give us all the medicine he wanted, but it doesn’t make good television if we get treated and go back to fighting. They need people to leave. So it’s kind of a kiss of death. dead when you go see the doctor on this show, even if it’s something minor.”
