Sheryl Underwood explains why she didn't reply to Sharon Osbourne texts: 'They were coming to me during the internal investigation'

• CBS' daytime show "The Talk" returned after an extended hiatus.
• Sheryl Underwood discussed her heated argument with Sharon Osbourne.
• She said she didn't respond to text messages from Osbourne because of CBS' active investigation.

Sheryl Underwood on Monday revisited her heated argument with Sharon Osbourne on "The Talk," saying she did not respond to text messages Osbourne sent her apologizing because she didn't think she could communicate with Osbourne while CBS was investigating the show.

Monday's episode of "The Talk" was the first to air following the show's extended hiatus, which was sparked by Osbourne and Underwood's argument about racism and Piers Morgan's comments about Meghan Markle. After the episode aired, Osbourne faced widespread criticism for her comments, and several further allegations about her conduct toward cohosts were made. She left the show shortly after CBS launched an investigation.

Last week, Osbourne shared images of text messages she said she sent to Underwood to apologize for her actions. Discussing why she did not respond to Osbourne's apology, Underwood said: "I want to clear something up. There was a discussion about Sharon and I communicating with each other. I have not spoken to, and do not have any phone call, missed or received, that I can find in my phone.

"But there were text messages sent to me. And the reason I did not respond to those text messages is because they were coming to me during the internal investigation."

Later, Underwood said she tried to stay calm during the on-air argument and did not want to escalate things because she believed she was "having a conversation with a friend." But Underwood continued to say that she also felt she had to remain calm in order not to be stereotyped as the angry Black woman.

"That really scared me - I didn't want to be that," she said. "I wanted to remain calm and focused. I just feel the trauma. I feel fearful and apprehensive. It is difficult to go back to that day because I feel the trauma. That really scared me."

Underwood and the show's other remaining hosts Elaine Welteroth, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Amanda Kloots were joined by a life coach on Monday's broadcast, and together they discussed the effects the events following the argument had on them all.

When asked whether she could remain friends with Osbourne, Underwood said: "People have asked me, 'Well, if you see Sharon, what would you do?' If she greeted me warmly and sincerely, I would give her back the same, because we've been on this show for 10 years.

"I want people to understand when you're friends with somebody you stay friends with. And what did Maya Angelou say? When people show you who they are, believe them."