On Thursday, Gabrielle Union filed a harassment complaint in California against the producers and network behind the hit competition show “America’s Got Talent.” Union also accused NBC Entertainment Chairman Paul Telegdy of threatening her for speaking out against racism during her time on set.
“When Gabrielle Union informed NBC of racially offensive conduct during the taping of ‘America’s Got Talent,’ NBC did not ‘stand’ with her in ‘outrage at acts of racism,'” Union’s attorney Bryan Freedman said. “Instead, NBC did not care enough to either promptly investigate Ms. Union’s complaints or even ask HR to get involved. Rather, NBC stood against her and directed its “outrage” at Ms. Union for whistleblowing about the racially offensive conduct she experienced while working for NBC on ‘America’s Got Talent.'”
Freedman also called out the network for their newly declared solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, stating that “in sharp contrast to NBC’s recent statement on race, what was truly an ‘outrage’ was the fact that Paul Telegdy, Chairman of NBC Entertainment, actually threatened Ms. Union in an attempt to silence her from telling the truth about racist actions that took place on the show. There is no place for this type of racial bullying in the workplace, and it is going to take more than a Tweet from NBC to demonstrate that NBC intends to create an environment free from racism.”
Freedman did not elaborate on the specifics of the threat.
Union filed the complaint with California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). The complaint named producers FremantleMedia, Simon Cowell’s Syco, and NBCUniversal.
The claim comes after Union spoke recently with Variety, where she detailed on-set racism that she endured. She also accused the producers of failing to accept accountability.
The trio of producers responded by claiming that they found no racial bias in the investigation into Union’s claims.
Union first raised accusations against the show and its production after she was abruptly let go from the series despite still being under contract.
