Gabrielle Union has ‘productive’ meeting with NBC execs over AGT toxic workplace complaints

Gabrielle Union sat in a 5-hour meeting and spoke her 'unfiltered truth' to executives at NBC after her contract was not renewed on 'America's Got Talent'

Dawn Onley

Dec 5, 2019

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Gabrielle Union gave NBC executives a piece of her mind Tuesday night in a meeting designed to start the process of investigating several alleged racially offensive incidents that transpired on this season of “America’s Got Talent.”

“We had a lengthy 5-hour, and what I thought to be, productive meeting,” Union tweeted. “I was able to, again, express my unfiltered truth. I led with transparency and my desire and hope for real change.”

OPINION: We’ve all been Gabrielle Union and we have her back

Union, whose contract was not renewed on the show, has alleged that she had spoken to people at NBC throughout this past season regarding racist comments and indoor smoking from the show’s executive director, Simon Cowell, according to Variety. She is reportedly allergic to cigarette smoke, and Cowell’s frequent indoor smoke breaks caused her to develop a bronchial infection, Variety adds.

Some of the racial comments were reportedly directed at Union’s hairstyles, media outlets have reported.

“The initial conversation was candid and productive. While there will be a further investigation to get a deeper understanding of the facts, we are working with Gabrielle to come to a positive resolution,” agreed an NBC spokesperson, reported Variety.

One widely cited incident that Gabrielle took offense to was when comedian Jay Leno came on the show and made an offensive joke toward Koreans eating dogs, which was edited out of the primetime airing.

Several stars have spoken out in favor of Union, including Kerry Washington, Ellen Pompeo, Ariana Grande and Patricia Arquette. Dwyane Wade, Union’s husband and former NBA star, also is publicly backing his wife. Wade took to Twitter last week to ask why his wife was fired from the show.

Time’s Up, which advocates for women, also sent NBC a letter asking why men are often protected at the expense of women.