NEED TO KNOW
Yungblud isn’t bothered by the negative response he received for paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.
During an Oct. 7 appearance on Jack Osbourne and Ryan Drexler’s podcast Trying Not to Die, the “Abyss” singer reflected on the criticism he received for performing at the 2025 MTV VMAs in honor of the Prince of Darkness.
While discussing the lack of control surrounding what others think of you, Jack, 39, and Yungblud, 28, segued into the singer’s September 2025 performance.
“Some rock stars were slagging you off and kind of being like, ‘Oh, he’s just clout chasing. He’s jumping on the bandwagon of, you know, Ozzy passing,’ ” Jack began before becoming emotional.
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“You’ve been so graceful over the last two months,” he said, fighting back tears. “You were so much more involved. And we’ve respected that you’ve respected that.”
Jack added that many didn’t know the details behind how close the musician, whose real name is Dominic Harrison, became with the Osbourne family.
“They don’t know the things we know. And I was just kind of like, f— you, dude. Like, yeah, Dom meant something to my dad. My dad meant something to Dom.”
“All I was trying to do was my best for your old man because he gave me such a gift,” Yungblud agreed. “And when people try and intellectualize a sense of spirit and six musicians on a stage going, ‘We f—ing love you, man,’ it’s just bitter and jealous.”
“They are doing the things that they say that we are doing. They’re trying to insert themselves into a conversation to obtain some kind of relevancy on the back of us honoring one of the greatest rock stars that ever lived.”
“And then they talk about authenticity and stuff like that and it’s like, I just loved your dad and I just was like, you know what I’m just going to do it.” Yungblud listed the ways he honored Ozzy with his performance by screaming “haha” at the start of “Crazy Train” and wearing eye makeup and a cross necklace the rocker had gifted him.
“I’m going to just f—ing do it because what what the f— else are we going to do?”
Trying Not To Die Podcast
“When it comes to people within rock — within the rock community — what people forget about rock and this is why in my opinion, the people talking about us, they ain’t real rock stars because as I said in this life, anyone bigger than you or emotion, more emotionally evolved than you will never talk down on you.”
“People forget that rock is dictated by the people,” continued Yungblud. “The people are what makes something rock and roll.”
“And as far as I’m concerned, the people f—ing loved it. And we got to put your f—ing dad’s face in front of another 100 million people that night. And keep that legacy alive and keep that idea alive.”
Trying Not To Die Podcast
At the 2025 MTV VMAs in September, Yungblud, along with Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and Nuno Bettencourt paid tribute to the late “Iron Man” singer. Jack and his children introduced them remotely for their performance.
The supergroup sang “Crazy Train,” “Changes,” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home” that evening for the crowd at the UBS Arena and viewers at home.
Trying Not To Die Podcast
Ozzy died in July at 76. “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” the rock star’s family told PEOPLE in a statement at the time.
“He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
