The news about Gabrielle Union comes suddenly, however its signs were coming for months. The reality talent hunt show, America’s Got Talent, is facing incredible criticism after two of its judges decided to leave. Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough will not be in front of the stage alongside Simon Cowell for the upcoming season.
Gabrielle Union Ousted from America’s Got Talent
The news was exclusively reported by Variety who gave an in-depth report of what went down. It first began when Jay Leno visited NBC in Los Angeles to do an episode as a guest judge. There, he allegedly cracked a racist joke towards Asians after looking at a painting of Simon Cowell surrounded by his dogs.
The joke perceived offensive to an already handful of Asian employees working with the show, some of whom heard him. However, Gabrielle Union, a new hire then, wanted the producers to report this offense to the HR department. She argued that this is offensive to the staff and the audience. As a result, they removed that part.
Variety reports that this is just one of the many casual racism cultures that NBC Universe has on its set of America’s Got Talent. Sources reveal that Gabrielle herself was subject to “light” racism on her looks.
There was another incident where a performer allegedly made racist jokes over Beyonce Knowles. When Union pressed the producers to have the performer remove from the lineup, she received a similar “We’ll do it later” reply attitude.
Union Speaks Out About Her Withdrawal
Gabrielle Union took to Twitter to express her gratitude towards the immense support she received from a number of fans and stars. She posted the following message:
So many tears, so much gratitude. THANK YOU! Just when you feel lost, adrift, alone… you got me up off the ground. Humbled and thankful, forever ❤
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) November 28, 2019
Upon posting this, she received several replies from several other stars and verified accounts. Her husband, NBA star Dwyane Wade, came to her support after rumors of her exit surfaced.
“Men lie, Women lie, numbers don’t” Over this past year I’ve been approached by many people saying that my wife @itsgabrielleu is the main reason they’ve started watching #AGT or that they love her insight and sincerity on the show.
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) November 27, 2019
So when i got the news that my wife was being fired—my first question was obviously why!? Iam still waiting on a good answer to that question. But if anyone knows @itsgabrielleu or have heard of her you know she’s an advocate for our community and culture.
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) November 27, 2019
He admitted he was really proud when they got the news that his wife, Gabrielle, was selected as a judge on the show.
“I am even more proud of her standing up for what she stands for and that’s US”
On the other hand, an NBC representative provided the following statement as an explanation. Speaking to the People, the spokesperson said:
“America’s Got Talent has a long history of inclusivity and diversity in both our talent and the acts championed by the show. The judging and host line-up has been regularly refreshed over the years and that is one of the reasons for AGT’s enduring popularity. NBC and the producers take any issues on set seriously.”
