Why Gabrielle Union departed from ‘America’s Got Talent’
After being dropped from the show without any clear reasons, Gabrielle Union is speaking up about discrimination in the workplace. Her controversial departure from “America’s Got Talent” – along with Julianne Hough getting booted from the show – alleged that Simon Cowell was leading a toxic work culture where women’s’ concerns were readily ignored.
Union expressed concern over offensive incidents that took place on the set, including feedback on hairstyles that were considered “too black” for viewers and an inappropriate joke from guest judge Jay Leno that turned into a racist incident.
It was reported that Union, a new hire for the 14th season, urged producers to report the joke to human resources at NBC, but it never escalated to the department.
There was also the time where Union and other staffers expressed concern over a white male performer portraying people of color. The contestant was impersonating famous singers, one of which was Beyoncé Knowles where his hands appeared as black. However, when Union pressed about the issue, producers were simply reported as saying “We’ll talk it out later.”
This is not the first time “AGT” has been accused of insensitivity towards its top talent. Former host Nick Cannon, who hosted the show for seven seasons, resigned in 2017 leaving a Facebook post that condemned NBC.
By: Maytinee Kramer
