NBC And "America's Got Talent" Address Gabrielle Union Reports

Source: Nicky Nelson / WENN / WENN

NBC And Simon Cowell’s Production Company Issue Statement Regarding Gabrielle Union / “America’s Got Talent”

Welp… It appears that NBC and Simon Cowell got the message loud and clear that the public is more than aware that the split between “America’s Got Talent” and 2019 judge Gabrielle Union has not been the cleanest of breaks. With much of Black Twitter ready to CANCEL the show and Cowell and reports from Love B. Scott and Variety reporting that sources claimed AGT producers found Union to be difficult for a whole range of reasons, including her outspoken nature, complaints about Cowell’s indoor smoking habits, refusal to tolerate Jay Leno’s racist jokes on set, or other racially insensitive acts, as well as frequent hairstyle changes deemed “too black” for the “AGT” audience.

On Sunday, Simon Cowell’s company Syco Entertainment, along with NBC and ‘AGT’s” production company, Fremantle released 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.”

Do you think their statement will earn them credibility? Is it just lip service?

Time’s Up weighed in on Monday with a statement of their own.

Tina Tchen, president and CEO of TIME’S UP Now, responded with the following statement:

“Gabrielle Union’s experience at ‘America’s Got Talent’ is exemplary of the double bind that black women face at work. Not only did Union reportedly endure and witness racist and inappropriate behavior – including racially-insensitive comments and excessive criticism about her physical appearance – but it also appears she was punished for speaking out: the company labeled her as ‘difficult’ before ousting her from the show altogether.

“Union’s story is deeply troubling on its own, but her experience is particularly problematic because it follows a pattern of NBCUniversal protecting the careers of powerful men at the expense of women who speak out.

“Union’s experience shows that NBCUniversal still has a lot of work to do to change its culture so discrimination, harassment, and retaliation are no longer tolerated at the company. Building a culture of safety and equity requires continuous, intentional work sustained over a long period of time – even when a company isn’t in the throes of a crisis.

“Ensuring people of all kinds are respected and supported at work is critical for any company, but especially a media company like NBC that has such an outsized influence in our culture and in our lives.”

This is big. Huge really. NBC is going to have to answer for what happened and clearly that statement doesn’t begin to make up for it.

We thought it was interesting as well that Gabrielle tweeted THIS Sunday, AFTER the statement was released.

Apparently NBC needs some help on knowing how to properly apologize. What steps do you think the network should take NEXT?

Hit the flip to see how Dwyane Wade has been supporting Gabby during the controversy.