London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Celebrities Are Slamming NBC For Dropping Gabrielle Union From "America's Got Talent"

Union was dropped as a judge from the talent competition after she reportedly raised concerns about a racist and sexist culture at the show.

Celebrities are slamming NBC for dropping Gabrielle Union as a judge from America's Got Talent after she reportedly complained about a culture of racism and sexism at the show.

According to a Variety report, Union had raised concerns about racist incidents on set. She was also repeatedly told her hairstyles were "too black" for the show's audience, Variety reported.

Vulture reported that Simon Cowell, a producer and judge on the show, had labeled Union as "difficult" after she regularly complained about his indoor smoking habit. She also allegedly complained about several incidents on set that she perceived as being racist and sexist. Despite Union bringing the issues before NBC executives, "nothing would happen," sources told Vulture.

NBC decided not to renew the contracts for Union and Julianne Hough, another judge on the show, earlier this month.

In one incident reported by Variety, Union urged the show's producers to notify human resources about a racist joke that guest judge Jay Leno made while taping the show in April. Union reportedly said that the joke, which played on a racist stereotype of Asians, would offend the show's staffers and audience. While the line was cut from the episode, the matter was never brought to human resources, Variety reported.

Union also clashed with the show's producers after they allegedly implied that a 10-year-old black rapper was not an act "that America can get behind," Vulture reported.

She also reportedly urged producers to remove a white contestant from the lineup after his act included dressing like Beyoncé by wearing black gloves, which Union reportedly referred to as "blackface hands."

NBC and Fremantle, the company that produces America's Got Talent, said in a statement to BuzzFeed News, "The judging and host line-up has been regularly refreshed over the years and that is one of the reasons for AGT’s enduring popularity."

The statement said NBC and the producers "take any issues on set seriously."

Union's representatives did not immediately return BuzzFeed News' request for comment.

After Union's exit, several celebrities tweeted their support for her and slammed NBC for what they called a "toxic" work environment.

Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo said, "Workplace cultures will continue to be toxic until there is unity and solidarity among all women."


Some actors from NBC shows - including Will & Grace's Debra Messing and The Good Place's Jameela Jamil -also called out the network and endorsed Union's actions.



Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro praised Union's "courage" in speaking out about racism and sexism at NBC.


Journalist Jemele Hill pointed out how black women are labeled as "difficult" for "merely seeking respect and decency."


While Union has not directly addressed her termination from the show nor the allegations in the reports, she tweeted a thank-you to her followers.


In addition, reports that Union had been subjected to racist criticisms of her hairstyles on the show prompted many black women to tweet photos of their hair using the hashtag #blackhairchallenge.


"My hair can be a different texture/length on any given day depending on what I decide to do with it. Same chick. Diff day. Still doing my job," one person wrote.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×