Gabrielle Union has given an update on her “America’s Got Talent” firing controversy.
On Wednesday, the actress revealed she had a long meeting with NBC where she was able to speak her “unfiltered truth.”
“We had a lengthy 5-hour, and what I thought to be, productive meeting yesterday,” she tweeted. “I was able to, again, express my unfiltered truth. I led with transparency and my desire and hope for real change.”
We had a lengthy 5-hour, and what I thought to be, productive meeting yesterday. I was able to, again, express my unfiltered truth. I led with transparency and my desire and hope for real change.
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) December 4, 2019
Union’s tweet is the latest development in the ongoing controversy, which first began after it was announced that she and fellow freshman judge Julianne Hough were fired from the talent competition series and would not be returning for the show’s 15th season.
Union’s contract was allegedly terminated for next season because she spoke up about racist and inappropriate behavior she encountered while serving as a judge on the talent competition series, causing her to be labeled “difficult” and subsequently asked to leave. She reportedly endured and witnessed racially-insensitive comments and excessive criticism about her physical appearance, as did Hough.
Since then, Union’s husband, Dwyane Wade, as well as Ariana Grande, Ellen Pompeo and Lin-Manuel Miranda have publicly stated their support for the actress. Howard Stern, a former “AGT” judge, went so far as to point his finger at show creator Simon Cowell, suggesting the British TV exec “orchestrated” the situation because “he sets it up that the men stay no matter how ugly they are, no matter how old they are, no matter how fat they are, no matter how talentless they are.” Stern feels Cowell “constantly replaces the hot chicks with hotter chicks and younger chicks.”
TooFab has contacted Cowell regarding Stern’s comments.
Initially, NBC, Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and show producer Fremantle insisted that any on-set issues were always taken seriously and that panel rotation was just part of the show’s natural cycle, but on Sunday, they issued the following joint statement:
“We remain committed to ensuring a respectful workplace for all employees and take very seriously any questions about workplace culture. We are working with Ms. Union through her representatives to hear more about her concerns, following which we will take whatever next steps may be appropriate.”
Many A-listers have shown support for Union while urging NBC to better its practices ever since news broke that she and Hough were fired after only one season.
The latest celebrities to speak out — Eva Longoria, Shonda Rhimes and Amber Tamblyn — have shared a Time’s Up petition, calling for the network to “fix its toxic workplace culture” with “concrete and long-term action.”
See how more celebrities have voiced their support here.
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Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough’s America’s Got Talent Style