Following past claims of racism and toxicity on the set of America’s Got Talent, Gabrielle Union is dishing on all things AGT, including her former co-judge’s use of blackface back in 2013. Late last year, it was reported that Gabrielle had been fired from the talent competition show after reporting a racist and inappropriate joke told by Jay Leno on the set. Gabrielle later came forward about her experience as a judge on the show, detailing the “toxic work environment” on set. However, it was later revealed that NBC would be conducting an internal investigation into the claims made about the show. As the investigation is ongoing, Gabrielle isn’t at liberty to discuss many details, but she did open up to Variety about a few of her negative experiences, and even commented on then-fellow judge Julianne Hough getting hired even after doing blackface as recently as 2013.
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While recalling some of the more distressing situations during her time at AGT, Gabrielle described an instance in which a white contestant wore black gloves to portray a black performer. “I’m a part of a show that hired one of my co-workers who had an unfortunate incident doing blackface,” she said, referring to Julianne dressing up as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren—a character played by black actress Uzo Aduba on Orange Is The New Black—for Halloween in 2013. “I’d like to trust her at her word that she learned her lesson, and has educated herself amid the consequences she faced and is hopefully a better person. But you would think that perhaps the show and NBC might be more conscientious in exposing that, and it would be taken seriously. I took it seriously.” Read the full interview with Variety here.
