Investigation Into Gabrielle Union’s ‘AGT’ Dismissal Finds ‘No Racial Bias Or Derogatory Remarks’
NBC & ‘America’s Got Talent’ producers have announced the results from their investigation into Gabrielle Union’s exit. As it was previously reported, the talent competition’s former judge accused the show and its producers of creating a racist and generally “toxic” culture.
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However, the network has determined that there was no “racial bias or derogatory remarks made during her time there. The network and producers explained in a joint statement: “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 read, in part. “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,” The Wrap quotes.
Aside from that, the investigation did find “some areas in which reporting processes could be improved,” NBC, Fremantle, and Syco said in the statement. Ironically, Variety released a new interview with the star where she opened about feeling “isolated’ while sharing more details about her the ‘toxic’ work environment of ‘America’s Got Talent.
“I didn’t feel like myself,” she told Variety in a new interview published on Wednesday, May 27. “I’m shape-shifting to make myself more palatable. I’m contorting myself into something I don’t recognize. I had to look at myself and say, ‘Do you want to keep it easy? Or do you want to be you, and stand up?’ Because I’m not the only one being poisoned at work.”
Following her exit from the show last fall, the same publication reported that actress had been told by AGT staffers that her hairstyles were “too black” for the show’s audience. In addition to that, Union also voiced concern over more than one insensitive performance and expressed discomfort over EP Simon Cowell‘s frequent smoking, which made her feel sick while she was on the job.
“I couldn’t escape. I ended up staying sick for two months straight. … It impacted my voice, which affects my ability to do my job,” the actress said, adding that her costar’s smoking created the “very definition” of a toxic environment. “I felt isolated. I felt singled out as being difficult, when I’m asking for basic laws to be followed. I want to come to work and be healthy and safe and listened to.”
She did address her concerns with the network but felt “disappointed” by the show’s response to her complaints. After hearing Jay Leno make a “wildly racist” off-the-cuff remark during a guest judge appearance, the L.A.’s Finest actress was told that producers would just “edit it out.”
“You cannot edit out what we just experienced. There is not an edit button in my brain or in my soul,” she told Variety. “To experience this kind of racism at my job and there be nothing done about it, no discipline, no company-wide email, no reminder of what is appropriate in the workplace?”
The Wednesday joint statement noted that “NBC, Fremantle and Syco immediately engaged an outside investigator who conducted more than 30 interviews to review the issues raised by Ms. Union.”
The network added,
“NBC, Fremantle and Syco share Ms. Union’s dedication to diversity and inclusion in the industry. We continue to remain committed to having an inclusive environment for everyone associated with the show, and to upholding AGT as one of the most diverse programs on television.”
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