Ozzy Osbourne’s son Jake says he was declared an ‘insurance risk’ and unable to find work after multiple sclerosis diagnosis
Ozzy Osbourne’s son Jack Osbourne is sharing how his multiple sclerosis diagnosis impacted his career.
Speaking at Steel City Con in Monroeville, Pa., on Friday, the 39-year-old media personality explained that he was declared an “insurance risk” after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012. And “couldn’t be hired for production work” “for a while.
“From a professional standpoint, this has been an issue for a long time,” Jack said at the convention, according to People magazine. “They said, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s too dangerous… So, I did lose it. Work, I find that really insulting.”
Jack was diagnosed at age 26, just weeks after welcoming his eldest daughter, Pearl, with ex-wife Lisa Stelly.
Jack Osborne (Fox via Getty Images)
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As a producer, Jack understood the demands of the position and felt it would be unfair to burden others with his abilities. He now produces horror and haunted house-themed travel shows such as “Jack Osbourne’s Horror Nights” and “Ozzy and Jack’s World Tour.”
“I know what it means to be a producer. We’re not that smart,” he explains. “You’d be sitting there like the producers would tell me what I can or can’t do neurologically [issue]? I thought, ‘No. Go ahead, man. Stay in your lane. “
According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple sclerosis is a degenerative neurological disease in which “the immune system attacks myelin, or the cells that produce and maintain myelin.” The most common symptoms include numbness, muscle weakness, and difficulty walking, with some people losing the ability to walk entirely.
“They said, ‘Oh yeah, it’s too dangerous… so I did lose my job, and I found that really insulting.”
While these are common symptoms for most people, Jack said this was not his experience with the disease. He acknowledged how lucky he was to have multiple sclerosis “without any major problems over the years”.
Jake competed on Season 17 of “Dancing with the Stars.” (Adam Taylor/Disney Universal Entertainment via Getty Images)
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“There are things going on here and there, but nothing life-changing so far, and I give it my blessing,” he said. “I exercise regularly. My whole philosophy is ‘the body in motion stays in motion.’ Keep up the good work and eat well. Healthy… I love rock climbing, I love sports.
While he’s always been aware of his physical capabilities, he explains that it took a public display of his strength to get him back on track professionally.
“What’s really changed for me is, as weird as it sounds, I did Dancing with the Stars and did really well,” he explained. “After that, everyone was like, ‘Oh, he’s fine.'”
Jake was recently a contestant on the second season of Fox’s “G.I. Joe: World’s Toughest.” Although Jack enjoyed being on the show, he quit after six episodes due to illness after waking up with an elevated heart rate two days in a row.
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Due to health reasons, Jack was sent home after six episodes of G.I. Joe: World’s Toughest. (Fox via Getty Images)
He told Entertainment Weekly in a November 2023 interview that while his exit was due to medical reasons, his multiple sclerosis was not the cause. He left with a potassium deficiency.
WATCH: Jack Osbourne reveals why he quit ‘G.I. Joe: World’s Toughest Test’
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“I’m going to put on my producer hat. This show needs people to give up. The doctor on the show, he’s a real doctor,” he told the outlet. “He can give us any medicine he wants, but it doesn’t make for good television if we heal and go back to fighting. They need people to leave. So, when you go to see it, it’s kind of like Death Day Kiss the doctor on the show, even if it’s a small thing.
