When it comes to places that enable racism, work environment, including the set of TV shows, is among the places where black community experience unfair treatment or being the subject of stereotypes.
- Aug 2, 2020
AceShowbiz - "America's Got Talent" made headlines in November 2019 after Gabrielle Union claimed that she received racist treatment and discrimination during her time serving as a judge on the show, prompting her to exit the show after only one season. In addition to having a tension with fellow judge Simon Cowell due to his smoking habit, it was said that the show fired the actress because her hair was "too black" for the show's audience.
That prompted NBC, Fremantle and Syco officials to launch an internal investigation to look into the allegations. They later shared in a joint statement to reveal the results, concluding that "no one associated with the show made any insensitive or derogatory remarks about Ms. Union's appearance, and that neither race nor gender was a contributing factor in the advancement or elimination of contestants at any time."
In response to the results, the "Bring It On" star sued Cowell, Syco, Freemantle Productions North America, and Universal TV by filing a harassment, discrimination and retaliation complaint with California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing. She also claimed that NBC Entertainment Chairman Paul Telegdy directly intervened in the investigation, sparked by her complaints, to "silence and intimidate" her.
