Ozzy Osbourne's Political Activism Was Intermittent, but He Wasn't a Trump Fan

Although he was not a native to the United States, Ozzy Osbourne occasionally interacted with American politics for one reason or another. While he wasn't always voicing political opinions, when he did, he made it clear who he supported.

Following the news of his death at the age of 76, many wanted to learn more about what Ozzy's political opinions led him to believe. Here's what we know.

Ozzy didn't always voice political opinions, but he was pretty choosy about who could use his music. In 2002, he attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner for President George W. Bush, but that's unsurprising given the president's sky-high approval ratings at the time.

Just two years later, though, Ozzy was making his lack of support for the war in Iraq crystal clear, and he spoke out against the use of "Crazy Train" at a Republican campaign event.

The song "War Pigs" by his band Black Sabbath also makes the band's feelings about politicians who go to war pretty clear.

“Politicians hide themselves away / They only started the war / Why should they go out to fight? / They leave that role to the poor…”

Clearly, then, Ozzy doesn't care too much for politicians who start wars and send other people off to die.

In 2019, when the Trump administration used "Crazy Train" in a video attacking Democrats, Ozzy went even further, issuing a statement condemning the use of the song.

“Based on this morning’s unauthorized use of Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train,’ we are sending notice to the Trump campaign (or any other campaigns) that they are forbidden from using any of Ozzy Osbourne’s music in political ads or in any political campaigns,” Osbourne’s team said in a statement at the time.

“Ozzy’s music cannot be used for any means without approvals," the statement concluded. Although Ozzy was no fan of Trump using the song, it's clear that he also didn't want any other politician to use it either.

“In the meantime, we have a suggestion for Mr. Trump: Perhaps he should reach out to some of his musician friends. Maybe Kanye West (‘Gold Digger’), Kid Rock (‘I Am the Bullgod’), or Ted Nugent (‘Stranglehold’) will allow use of their music,” the statement added.

It seems like Ozzy's general stance was in opposition to politicians of all stripes, although he seems to have focused more of his ire on Conservatives than on liberals.

In discussing the politics of his home country, Ozzy condemned the Brexit movement, saying that he didn't really understand it.

“I don’t understand Brexit — I don’t think anybody does,” he told The Big Issue in 2018. “You watch TV, and it’s all this shouting and screaming about Brexit, but nobody’s got a f--king clue what it really means.”

So on the whole, Ozzy's politics were largely anti-establishment, but he spent most of his time thinking about other things, especially later in life.