Gabrielle Union has given yet another candid interview about her fraught time as a judge on America’s Got Talent. The actress is currently suing NBC for firing her from AGT last last year. This came after an NBC investigation that concluded there was no racism on set. She appeared on the Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast and shared more about the show’s racist and sexist toxic workplace culture.
Terry Crews is showing who he is, says Gabrielle, not solidarity
When Jamele asked “What the F*** is up with Terry Crews,” Gabrielle had an ominous warning for him. After Gabrielle went public with her allegations against Simon Cowell and AGT, Terry took pains to support the network and the show.
“Based on his recent actions, do you really think Terry Crews was an ally, was helpful, was a sounding board? I think Terry Crews is showing us who he is and what he does during times of adversity and it’s not solidarity.” Gabrielle said. Terry has gotten into trouble with the Black community in general after All Lives Mattering the BLM movement.
“At the end of the day, the work that I am doing to make sure that NBC is a more fair and equitable place of employment will benefit you as well,” Gabrielle said of Terry. “So it’s OK to eat your cereal and let me do my thing and get out of the way. If you’re not going to help, then get out of the way. If you don’t feel financially comfortable, or spiritually comfortable or you flat out disagree, but at the end of the day he will benefit from a safer, more equitable workplace from what I stuck my neck out to do and got fired for, you know? Instead of actively working against progress.”
“Since I’ve been so vocal about what happened, the floodgates have opened. This reckoning is just hitting,” she insisted. “There is so much more that is coming… I have a feeling he will probably regret it for a thousand reasons, very soon.”
NBC fired Megyn Kelly for Blackface remarks, but didn’t care that Julianne Hough did it
Gabrielle also went after Julianne Hough, who was fired from the judges panel alongside her. She wondered why NBC was unbothered by her own blackface controversy a few years ago.
When an AGT act used “blackface hands” in his performance, Gabrielle hit her X right away, but didn’t feel comfortable speaking her mind.
“Finally the act is over and they’re like, ‘So Gab, tell us about why you hit the X?’ I’m like, ‘Nah, I’m good.’ Because the reason I can’t explain why blackface is wrong is because sitting next to me is Julianne Hough — who God bless her, she seems like a sweet person — who happened to do blackface for Halloween!”
“Mind you, this is in the same timeframe [NBC] just fired Megyn Kelly over her blackface statements. They hired, somehow, Julianne Hough who I guess they didn’t care about that did blackface. A lot of these people who had to approve all these blackface episodes are still around,” she continued, referring to NBC recently removing episodes of 30 Rock and Scrubs with blackface.
Gabrielle believes that NBC tolerates racism
Gabrielle feels NBC’s actions make it clear they tolerate racism.
“By the time we get to the investigation and they send Terry Crews out on his discredit me tour and you have the head of the network [Paul Telegdy] calling my agent and saying, ‘Gab better watch who she calls a racist’ in the middle of an open investigation about racism,” Union shared. (In her lawsuit, Gabrielle claims NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy “threatened” her to keep quiet.)
“This is what is happening at the top, to me,” Gabrielle added. “Someone with high visibility, large platform… this is what they are doing to me, openly, willingly, don’t give a s***. Imagine what they are doing to people who don’t have the money to fight them, who don’t have the reputation and a community to back them?”
Meanwhile, after the Hollywood Reporter dug up NBC sources who confirmed Gabrielle’s accusations against Telegdy and more, NBC launched an investigation into the network chief’s workplace behavior.
Listen to the podcast episode below:
UPDATE: Terry Crews apologizes to Gabriele AGAIN.
After learning of Gabrielle’s renewed criticisms on the podcast, Terry Crews tweets another apology. “This will be my 3rd public apology to Gabrielle Union,” he wrote. “If a 4th is needed, I will continue to apologize and push for reconciliation between the world, and more importantly, the culture I grew up in. I’m sorry, @itsgabrielleu #reconciliation”
He still doesn’t appear to understand or appreciate Gabrielle’s point of view. Until that happens, his apologies are pointless.
