Jack Osbourne opens up about estranged sister Aimee: “We don’t have a great relationship”

Jack Osbourne has confirmed that he and his eldest sibling, Aimee Osbourne, remain estranged, despite the siblings being seen in public together just weeks ago during their father Ozzy Osbourne’s funeral procession in Birmingham, England, on July 30.

Speaking on the Disrespectfully podcast, which was recorded shortly before the somber family gathering, Jack revealed, “We don’t have a great relationship... It’s no secret.”

© Jim Smeal

The 39-year-old, who, along with middle sister Kelly Osbourne, 40, rose to fame on MTV’s The Osbournes reality show, reflected on his distant bond with 41-year-old Aimee, the only Osbourne sibling who chose to stay off the show. Aimee opted to focus on a more private life and career in music, distancing herself from the spotlight that came with the family’s fame.

“Back then she really wanted to be a musician and the kind of musician she wanted to be was like a Fiona Apple, Mazzy Star, like this kind of obscure, mysterious, moody…” Jack said on the podcast.

“And she deemed doing a show on MTV as low-hanging fruit. She was like, ‘I’m not going to be seen riding coat-tails,’ kind of thing, that’s how she perceived it.

“Once the show was hugely successful, I think she was kind of like, ‘Well, I can’t now come on because I don’t want to be seen even more so as jumping on the bandwagon.’

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“And she dug her heels in and wanted to be relatively private and obscure.” Jack went on to admit that the siblings have never spoken about Aimee’s decision to avoid the spotlight.

“I’ve never had the conversation with her; we’re not close at all. We don’t have a great relationship, she’ll be the first to tell you that, so it’s no secret."

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“I’ve never asked her outright, ‘Do you regret it?’ I think there must be a level of like, ‘Hey, my life would have probably been different than what it is if I’d done that,’ so I don’t know, I think I would feel like I would have regretted it.”

The emotional distance between the Osbourne sisters has also been acknowledged by Kelly, who in 2021 told the Armchair Expert podcast, “We don’t talk. We’re just really different. She doesn’t understand me, and I don’t understand her.”

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Aimee has also previously spoken about their strained bond. In 2015, she told The Independent, “I wouldn’t say there is an ease between us, but there is an acceptance. Do we socialize? No.”

Aimee, who left the family home at age 16 when filming for The Osbournes began, has shared her discomfort with the idea of nepotism. In a 2020 interview with Greatest Music of All Time, she said, “I grew up around a lot of music, and then I guess just having that creative environment, it was just a natural part of my everyday life."

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“And then I was always interested in writing music and singing, but I was very shy and almost embarrassed about it because I didn’t want to do that whole nepotistic thing that just felt really awkward."

“So I kept it a secret, and then my mum’s friend overheard me singing in my room or something, and then she said, ‘Would you like to come stay with me? And I know these people that write music very similar to what you like, just come and see what happens.’"

© Mark Sullivan

“I was very hesitant and secretive about it. For some reason, I just felt very shy, and the trip went really well, and I surprised myself, and it went from there. I have journals from when I was really young, and I was always writing poetry and stories, and then I started to implement writing as well as singing, and it happened naturally that way.”

While the Osbourne siblings were recently seen together during the late rock legend’s funeral events, Jack’s comments confirm that any public appearance of unity doesn’t necessarily reflect private closeness, especially with Aimee.