Gabrielle Union thanked fans for their support amid her America’s Got Talent departure. Controversy arose when she and fellow freshman judge Julianne Hough were both unceremoniously fired from the show, following rumors of a toxic work environment.
Union and Hough were brought onto the show in early 2019 to replace judges Heidi Klum and Mel B, both of whom had been terminated in the previous season. Klum has since made her way to America’s Got Talent Champions, and will soon be joined by judge Alesha Dixon in 2020. Union really resonated with viewers. Her critiques were friendly, but honest. She also was the first to bestow the golden buzzer on contestant Kodi Lee in season 14. Hough, too, did a great job judging. Of course, she had plenty of experience having come from the panel at Dancing With the Stars. Both women are actresses in Hollywood, and lent a certain level of modernity and cachet to the talent show. Therefore, their respective departures from the program seemed a bit abrupt. Soon after, news broke that shed light on Union’s dismissal, while Hough moved on as if her firing were all part of some bigger plan to make more room in her tightly packed schedule.
It’s been reported that an offensive comment was made by comedian and talk-show host Jay Leno, who was guest judging an episode of America’s Got Talent. Leno allegedly likened an image of dogs playing poker to a menu item at a Korean restaurant. Union expressed her concern about the comment and even went so far as to demand that HR get involved. After the announcement of her firing was made, fans took to social media to voice concerns over what was said. However, many of them gave a special shout-out to Union for her mindfulness. She responded via Twitter, seen below: “So many tears, so much gratitude. THANK YOU! Just when you feel lost, adrift, alone…you got me up off the ground. Humbled and thankful, forever”
Even veteran actors and activists like Ellen Pompeo, Patricia Arquette, and Lin-Manuel Miranda have expressed concerns that SAG-AFTRA hasn’t come to Union’s defense. After all, an incident involving a possible retaliation after a workplace complaint is certainly an issue that falls under the jurisdiction of the Screen Actor’s Guild. However, the organization has yet to speak out in condemnation of either woman’s termination.
It is a beautiful thing to see so many people reaching out to Union and expressing gratitude that she would speak up about this comment. It’s even more inspiring that so many members of the Asian and Asian-American communities are thankful to Union for recognizing the racism behind the comment, even if the comment wasn’t directed towards her. For many people, cultural insensitivity is a quiet soul-crusher. Most people laugh or shrug off these comments and think nothing of them. However, to have someone with a national platform jeopardize their job in order to say it’s not appropriate is a wonderful moment in pop culture. It’s especially poignant that Gabrielle Union was the force behind this call-to-action. She is absolutely worthy of a standing ovation.
Next: Gabrielle Union Reportedly Dropped from America’s Got Talent After Reporting Toxic Culture
America’s Got Talent premieres Monday, January 6th at 8pm EST on NBC.
Source: Gabrielle Union
