Gabrielle Union has filed a harassment claim against producers of America’s Got Talent – accusing them of on-set racism and a “lack of accountability” after publicly making the comments in November last year.
The lawsuit, which was filed through California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), names Simon Cowell’s company SYCO and producers at FremantleMedia and NBCUniversal.
In the legal paperwork, Gabrielle’s lawyer Bryan Freedman writes: “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.’
“Instead, NBC did not care enough to either promptly investigate Ms. Union’s complaints or even ask HR to get involved.
Gabrielle Union poses on America’s Got Talent (Image: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
“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.”
In a defiant statement to The Sun, NBC said: “The allegation that anyone involved in this process threatened Ms. Union is categorically untrue.
“We took Ms. Union‘s concerns seriously, and engaged an outside investigator who found an overarching culture of diversity on the show.
Gabrielle has lodged the complaint in California (Image: FilmMagic)
“NBCUniversal remains committed to creating an inclusive and supportive working environment where people of all backgrounds are treated with respect.”
Speaking to Variety magazine, Gabrielle accused Simon of creating a ‘toxic’ environment due to his on set smoking.
The actress claimed she “couldn’t escape it,” and was “sick for two months straight.”
Simon Cowell stopped smoking on set after the complaint was made (Image: NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Gabrielle said: “You are literally met with the very definition of a toxic work environment, and it’s being carried out by the most powerful person on the production.”
Confirming that a complaint was raised which Simon immediately acted on, a rep for the media mogul said: “When he was directly informed of the smoking complaint during the first couple of days of the season, he immediately changed his behaviour and the issue was never raised again.”
A recent statement from Syco read: “We have a shared passion to make America’s Got Talent a positive, inclusive and diverse show that is open to all individuals from any country or background. We are proud and grateful that our contestants and audiences support our ongoing mission, which is represented in the incredible people who participate in the show each year. We have heard from contestants and talent alike that their experience on AGT has had a positive impact on their lives. When we heard Ms. Union had concerns about her time on the show, we took them extremely seriously.”
NBC Fremantle and Syco also said they hired an “outside investigator” who “conducted more than 30 interviews to review the issues raised by Ms. Union.”
The statement continued: “While the investigation has demonstrated an overall culture of diversity, it has also highlighted some areas in which reporting processes could be improved.
“Through the investigation process, it has been revealed that no one associated with the show made any insensitive or derogatory remarks about Ms. Union’s appearance, and that neither race nor gender was a contributing factor in the advancement or elimination of contestants at any time. The investigation has shown that the concerns raised by Ms. Union had no bearing on the decision not to exercise the option on her contract.
“NBC, Fremantle and Syco share Ms. Union’s dedication to diversity and inclusion in the industry.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
