Gabrielle Union Opens Up About NBC Investigation, AGT, Racism, Simon Cowell

Gabrielle Union is shedding light on the NBC investigation surrounding her controversial stint on “America’s Got Talent.”

While appearing on the “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah“ this week, the actress weighed in on the ongoing conversation of systemic racism amid the Black Lives Matter protests and opened up about the discrimination she claims she experienced during her short time as a judge on “AGT.”

Union, 47, not only slammed NBC Universal and the show’s production company, Fremantle Media, but she also called out producer and EP, Simon Cowell for his alleged smoking on set.

“With ‘AGT,’ trying to work within a system of — I thought it was the easiest show! How hard is it to, you know, watch jugglers? — That’s what I thought I signed up for,” Union told Noah. “Day one, you know, Simon Cowell is smoking cigarettes inside. I’ve worked a long time, I’ve worked with all kinds of people, I’ve never experienced that.”

She continued, “So, when your boss, the person who has the ability to determine who gets opportunities and who doesn’t, doesn’t believe the law applies to him or the rules apply to him and he does it in full view of NBC, Fremantle and Syco and no one cares about Simon Cowell, you know, exposing all of these employees to second-hand smoke. That’s day one, that’s within the first hour.”

“What message do you think that sends to anyone that has an issue with the very real racism and the lack of accountability?” Union added. “And it goes on and on and on.”

The “L.A.’s Finest” star then opened up about issues she had with NBC’s investigation, explaining how she thought it was going to be “independent.”

“I decided to participate in this investigation. They’re like ‘we’re going to commission this independent investigation,'” she said. “Well, silly me, I thought independent was independent, but when NBC and [producers] Fremantle and Syco paid for that investigation, they control it.”

Union then made a stunning claim that NBC chairman, Paul Telegdy, allegedly threatened her agent.

“I participated in this investigation, and the investigation was ongoing,” she said. “They turn over what they believe to be inflammatory things or things that are not advantageous to me, over to the head of NBC, Paul Telegdy, who then uses those things that he thinks are like smoking guns to shoot down my claims.”

“He then threatens my agent, ‘Gabrielle better watch who she calls a racist,'” Union alleged. “In the middle of an investigation about racism and discrimination? This is what’s happening from the top of the company.”

“We have to be able to be okay with change that doesn’t always benefit us,” she later added. “Some people believe that … the only way to lead is to center yourself in every argument. But what I’m learning throughout this whole process is, sometimes the best way to lead is to get out of the way and make room for someone else. We have to dismantle the whole thing. We can’t put a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound.”

These allegations appear to be a part of Union’s current official complaint against NBC, Cowell, Fremantle Productions and Syco.

TooFab has contacted NBC regarding Union’s accusations against Paul Telegdy and AGT. We have also reached out to Cowell with reference to Union’s claims about him.

Earlier this month, Union filed a complaint against NBC, Cowell, Fremantle Productions and Syco, in which she alleged she was harassed and discriminated against due to her race and her refusal to stay quiet in the “toxic” environment.

In the complaint, obtained by TMZ, Union says she was terminated from “AGT” because she took issues with “racist jokes, racist performances, sexual orientation discrimination, and excessive focus on female judges’ appearances, including race-related comments.”

In response to the legal complaint, NBC said, “The allegation that anyone involved in this process threatened Ms. Union is categorically untrue,” the media conglomerate told TMZ in a statement. “We took Ms. Union’s concerns seriously, and engaged an outside investigator who found an overarching culture of diversity on the show. NBCUniversal remains committed to creating an inclusive and supportive working environment where people of all backgrounds are treated with respect.”

Union’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, then fired back, saying, “It’s very telling that NBC fails to substantively address the DFEH complaint that Ms. Union filed based on racial discrimination. Instead, NBC wants to try and play word games by saying that their Chairman, Paul Telegdy, did not directly threaten Gabrielle Union. It is frankly sad but not surprising that, rather than addressing its own racial discrimination, NBC wants to try and avoid the systemic issues that permeate its company.”

Last November, Union and Julianne Hough were dismissed from the show two months after the finale of their first season.

Following the ousting, news spread that Union had complained the show had a “toxic” environment and claimed she was criticized for her hairstyles being “too black.”

The powers that be — NBC, Fremantle and Syco — launched an investigation into Union’s claims and released a statement on their findings last month.

“Through the investigation process, it has been revealed that no one associated with the show made any insensitive or derogatory remarks about Ms. Union’s appearance, and that neither race nor gender was a contributing factor in the advancement or elimination of contestants at any time,” the statement said.

“The investigation has shown that the concerns raised by Ms. Union had no bearing on the decision not to exercise the option on her contract.”

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