Gabrielle Union has reportedly filed a discrimination complaint against NBC, Simon Cowell, FremantleMedia and Syco Entertainment six months following her exit from America’s Got Talent. She also claims that NBC Entertainment Chairman Paul Telegdy tried to “silence and intimidate” her.
NBC responded to those allegations on Thursday (June 4). “The allegation that anyone involved in this process threatened Ms. Union is categorically untrue. 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,” NBC said in a statement, per Entertainment Tonight.
Simon, Fremantle and Syco are yet to respond to requests for comments.
The filing of the complaint to the Department of Fair Employment And Housing comes a week after Gabrielle broke her silence on her exit from the show in a recent interview. According to Variety, DFEH complaints are often precursors to lawsuits.
As a refresher, the Bring It On star was a judge on the show’s 14th season, only to depart after just one season. According to a Variety report published at the time, Gabrielle had expressed concerns about the show’s “toxic culture.”
Following her exit, the SAG-AFTRA labor union initiated a formal investigation into the matter.
The companies that produce the show – NBC, Fremantle and Syco – have since responded to those allegations with a 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.”
Other stars who have appeared as judges on the show, including Terry Crews, Heidi Klum, and Julianne Hough, who appeared alongside her on the AGT’s 14th Season, have also made public statements about their own experiences on the show, saying they did not experience what Gabrielle allegedly did.
On Wednesday (May 27), Gabrielle broke her silence about her time on the show in an interview published by Variety, where she talked about being sick for two months because of Simon’s smoking habit, which in turn, bothered fellow judge Howie Mandel, whose germophobia is well-known.
“It was challenging to tend to my illness without being made to feel like I’m responsible for my own sickness,” she says. “It put me in a position from day one where I felt othered. 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 also addressed Jay Leno’s offensive joke – “I was not prepared for his joke. I gasped. I froze. Other things had already happened, but at this point, it was so wildly racist” – and how the show did not ask contestants about their preferred pronouns.
“You cannot edit out what we just experienced. There is not an edit button in my brain or in my soul. To experience this kind of racism at my job and there be nothing done about it, no discipline, no companywide email, no reminder of what is appropriate in the workplace?…And again, no checks and balances. Everyone is allowed to operate without consequence or accountability, and it sends a message that this kind of thing is not only tolerated but encouraged,” she said.
A spokesperson for Simon told Variety that he was made aware of the first couple of days into the season and he “immediately changed his behavior and the issue was never raised again.”
NBC, Fremantle and Syco also released a statement on the results of the internal investigation: “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 investigation has shown that the concerns raised by Ms. Union had no bearing on the decision not to exercise the option on her contract.”
However, the Variety reporter who interviewed Gabrielle, Matt Donnelly, claims that the investigation is not yet finished.
Gabrielle’s husband, Dwayne Wade, also took to Twitter to defend his wife.
“Y’all have deemed her a liar after months of trying to inform y’all of the issues in the work place and also make sure other employees of color that comes after her won’t have the same experiences,” the former NBA star tweeted, adding, “So instead of making sure your work environment is a a better place for everyone. Y’all have decided that she what? Made it all up because she lost a job? She’s a black women in Hollywood she has lost out on many jobs.”
