Gabrielle Union’s Firing from America’s Got Talent

Recently, judges Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough were cut from the show America’s Got Talent after only one season.  Rumors have been circulating that the culture at AGT is racist.  Others have said that Ms. Union clashed off-camera with Simon Cowell and that she was difficult to work with.  Union clashed with Cowell and AGT’s producers on several occasions, due in large part to a string of racist and transphobic incidents.

Allegedly, the show producers complained on at least six  occasions that her hairstyles were “too black” for AGT’s audience.  After Union was fired she met with NBC executives to discuss her concerns about the racist incidents.  NBC issued a statement to Deadline News: “We remain committed to ensuring a respectful workplace for all employees and take very seriously any questions about workplace culture. We are working with Ms. Union through her representatives to hear more about her concerns, following which we will take whatever next steps may be appropriate.”

Currently, Union is exploring her legal options against the network, according to sources close to the actress.

We at MANE Movement fully support Gabrielle Union.  As black women we are too often judged and discriminated against because of how we wear our hair, especially if it is in its natural state.  Hollywood is certainly guilty of presenting images of black women with more European hairstyle, and even with all the women that represent black female characters with natural hairstyles, executives behind the scenes still seem to miss the mark.

As we enter 2020, hopefully the tide will change and black women can wear their hair in the corporate world, in front of the camera, and where every they want without judgment.

Fight on Gabby!– WE.STAND.WITH.YOU.