Advertisement

Gabrielle Union Responds to Terry Crews’ Comments Doubting Her ‘America’s Got Talent’ Allegations

Will Thorne

Click here to read the full article.

Gabrielle Union appears to have addressed “America’s Got Talent” host Terry Crews’ comments questioning her allegations of racism and sexism on the set of the NBC series.

Union did not mention Crews by name, but in a series of tweets posted after the host’s appearance on “3rd Hour of Today,” Union praised the “multiple witnesses who bravely came forward to let everyone know” she wasn’t lying, and criticized “those who enthusiastically will throw you under the bus.”

More from Variety

The actor also decried the lack of diversity behind the scenes at “AGT,” specifically among the “decision making ranks” and in the hair and makeup departments.

 

Not only did Crews rebut Union’s claims by saying “that was never my experience on ‘America’s Got Talent,'” but he also said he doubted them because they were revealed through “an unnamed source,” and because “Union has not made any statement to this day about any of these allegations publicly.”

In late November, following Variety’s exclusive first report of Union’s firing and a flood of support from celebrities and advocacy groups, NBCUniversal launched a third party investigation to look into the accounts of racial insensitivity and a hostile climate for “AGT’s” women judges, as well as labor code violations like Simon Cowell’s reported insistence on indoor smoking.

Union also said in her recent twitter thread that everyone involved with the investigation had agreed to speak out after it was complete. However, given Crews’ recent comments, Union said she was prepared to break that agreement.

 

Time’s Up echoed Union’s sentiments in their own statement reacting to Crews’ comments.

“Gabrielle Union faced the toxic mixture of both sexism and racism on ‘America’s Got Talent’s set. As she said, these issues won’t be fixed until lack of diversity is addressed, ‘in the decision making ranks who control the fate of the diversity in front of the camera,” the organization’s response read.

Julianne Hough, who was also ousted at the same time as Union, previously commended Union for standing up for herself and congratulated NBC for agreeing to sit down with her for discussions.

“When I see that comment there that excites me so much because that is what we need to start conversations and I just commend Gabrielle for speaking her truth and starting a conversation,” said Hough during a “Today Show” appearance in December. “And I’m really proud of NBC as well for showing up and starting a narrative and that’s what’s going to change the workplace and the paradigm that we’ve been working in for many, many years. It’s shifting and that’s really exciting.”

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.