Gabrielle Union Says ‘AGT’ Firing Was The Hardest Part Of Her Career: It Was Such A Public Flogging

Gabrielle Union

Gabrielle Union Says ‘AGT’ Firing Was The Hardest Part Of Her Career: It Was Such A Public Flogging

Actress and TV host Gabrielle Union is opening up about her most challenging moments in Hollywood.

Recently, she spoke on her departure from “America’s Got Talent,” saying it was the hardest part of her career.

“It all was so surprising and so heartbreaking and so frustrating and so unnecessary. That would be probably the hardest part (of my time in the industry).” 

Simon Cowell

Gabrielle Union, 47, was fired from her role as a judge on the NBC talent competition last year. She later spoke out and said she experienced racism on set, along with a toxic work environment. Since then, the 47-year-old has filed harassment complaints against NBC, Universal TV, Fremantle Productions, and executive producer Simon Cowell and his company, Syco Entertainment – claiming she was threatened for speaking up on the fallout.

Gabrielle Union continued,

“[It was] like such a public flogging and just standing in my truth and standing on the side of employee rights and knowing there’s a better way of doing business…But that whole process was really brutal and knowing that I brought my team into that, it just sucked.”

Terry Crews

After making her claims public, she received some criticism from fans who said pointed out that she wasn’t the only black person on the show as Terry Crews served as the host. Gabrielle Union previously said of her former co-star during an interview with Jemele Hill:

“Based on his recent actions, do you really think Terry Crews was an ally, was helpful, was a sounding board? I think Terry Crews is showing us who he is and what he does during times of adversity and it’s not solidarity.”

Gabrielle Union now wants to use her own production company to provide a space that fills a void in the industry. She said she wants it to be a place

 “where I feel like the voices of marginalized folks have not been traditionally centered or amplified.”

The actress and business owner also spoke on the nature of Hollywood and the entertainment industry.

“We face a lot of rejection in this business. Anytime someone says yes to us you get so excited, because we don’t hear yes that often, and sometimes those yeses are masking a host of trouble and problematic behavior… Perhaps you don’t want to be someone’s racial guinea pig.”