Pressure on NBC as Gabrielle Union AGT Departure Causes Stir

Over the years, plenty of celebrities have joined and left the panels of shows like American Idol, X Factor US, and America’s Got Talent. However, few have generated quite so much of a stir as the Gabrielle Union firing.

What happened? Well, it seems Union was booted off the show after complaining about not only the toxic work environment but for a racist joke told by Jay Leno on a visit to the show. Along with Julianne Hough, Union took the issues to the TV show’s bosses and have now been fired. While some details of the situation vary depending on the source, Dwayne Wade, Union’s husband, has suggested that this was indeed the reason for the firing. He said, Union is an ‘advocate for our community.’

Outpouring of Support for Union

In the days since the release of the news, plenty of celebrities have provided their support for Union while also slamming NBC for the way that they’ve handled the situation. On Thursday, Ellen Pompeo tweeted that the network hasn’t ‘changed their practices or culture’ after previously protecting Matt Lauer. Shortly after, she also tweeted for white women to ‘stand with your sisters’ if they ‘truly understand what racial injustice is or not.’

Elsewhere, Debra Messing responded to Pompeo’s comments and noted her sadness that the network that has been her ‘professional home’ for many years would act in this way. Also, Ariana Grande clearly appreciated the ‘teaching moment’ from Pompeo and tweeted her thanks while also telling NBC to ‘be better’.

As time goes on, more and more people are joining the support for Union including Lin-Manual Miranda, Yashar Ali, Sophia Bush, and Patricia Arquette.

Additionally, Time’s Up has spoken of their support for Union. In a short and simple tweet, the official account thanked Union for ‘speaking up for what’s right’. Interestingly, NBC have spoken about the event but haven’t admitted blame or even responsibility. Instead, they said that they’re ‘puzzled’ by Union’s sacking and were actually expecting her back for the 15th season.

Alonzo Bodden Offers a Different Perspective

In addition to the support for Union, some have also suggested that the Jay Leno comment wasn’t racist at all. According to sources, Leno was being shown a painting of Simon Cowell and his dogs. In response, Leno said that it looks like something that could be seen on a Korean menu. Speaking to TMZ, he believes that there’s an important distinction to be made between attacking a race/person and playing off a ‘common stereotype’.

While speaking on the topic, he also noted that this was one of the smaller complaints and that Union is right to speak up for herself if the stories are true that she was getting notes on her wardrobe, physical appearance, and hair.

We’re sure this story will develop, and it will be interesting to see how NBC reacts to the criticism (and whether there’s a damaging impact on Leno’s own reputation). Can the industry also learn from this saddening example?