Former “America’s Got Talent” judge Gabrielle Union on Tuesday said that she thinks NBCUniversal needs to make “more changes” to create a safe environment for employees of color after a network executive announced changes to some company policies.
In a tweet, Union reacted to news first reported by The Hollywood Reporter indicating that NBCUniversal TV and Streaming Chairman Mark Lazarus was taking steps to promote “a positive culture” at the company.
“Great start by NBC to recognize the need to not turn away & ignore racial & gender discrimination on programs like #AGT. More changes are needed however like stopping executives from intimidating talent from sharing their experience of racism in their own workplace investigations,” she wrote.
Union caused a stir of headlines after she was terminated from “America’s Got Talent” in 2019, just after her first season with the show ended.
At the time, Union alleged that NBC executives had threatened her career were she to continue to publicly detail behind-the-scenes issues at the show that she said contributed to a toxic work environment for minorities. In particular, Union claimed that hairstylists claimed that her styles were “too black” for television.
“I will always want to be a part of creating a safer space for everyone who has a dream who comes to this crazy town and just wants a chance,” she said at the time. “The wheels of change are incredibly slow to move … the more that we stand up and speak out for injustice anywhere and everywhere, we cover all of us.”
NBC denied the claims, and an internal investigation that concluded in May found that her claims of racist treatment had “no bearing” on her firing.
“The allegation that anyone involved in this process threatened Ms. Union is categorically untrue,” NBCUniversal said in a statement. “We took Ms. Union‘s concerns seriously, and engaged an outside investigator who found an overarching culture of diversity on the show. NBCUniversal remains committed to creating an inclusive and supportive working environment where people of all backgrounds are treated with respect.”