BY JAELYN YEAMPIERRE
Judges Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough left the hit NBC show “America’s Got Talent” (AGT) on November 22, 2019. Since then, Union has received a massive amount of support via social media after news got out about some of the “problematic” reasons behind her departure.
Union urged producers to report a racist joke to human resources at NBC made by former late-night host Jay Leno in which Leno was reported to have made a joke perpetuating the stereotype about the ingestion of dog meat among Asian cultures. Union argued as to why the joke would offend not only the staff but the audience of AGT.
The joke was cut from the episode, which aired on August 6. Despite this, insiders report that the Leno situation is only one of many in which insiders refer to as a “toxic culture” at AGT.
Union should not have been punished for voicing her discomfort with the situation. Being such a popular network, NBC is held accountable for making sure that its viewers are satisfied with its content. While others may have chosen to ignore the situation, Union stood up for viewers, caring more about how the insensitive joke would make them feel rather than focusing on how speaking up could affect her position on the show.
Rather than apologizing for how the situation was dealt with and the unease that the environment of the show brought Union, NBC chose to divert the attention away from the incident and instead focus on the positive things AGT has done with their cast and acts.
While others may have chosen to ignore the situation, Union stood up for viewers, caring more about how the insensitive joke would make them feel rather than focusing on how speaking up could affect her position on the show.
“America’s Got Talent” has a long history of inclusivity and diversity in both our talent and the acts championed by the show,” NBC and series producer Fremantle said in a joint statement. “The judging and host line-up has been regularly refreshed over the years and that is one of the reasons for AGT’s consistent popularity. NBC and the producers take any issues on set seriously.”
Union has yet to comment on the issue, as well as representatives for Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment, the creators of the show.
Both Union and Hough were cut from the show, but cast members Cowell, Howie Mandel and Terry Crews are all expected to return for the next season.
Insiders also revealed that there was tension on the set from notes coming in, criticizing Union and Hough’s appearance. Union was specifically criticized for her varying hairstyles, with one note even going as far as saying that Union’s hairstyles were “too black” for the viewers of AGT.
This would not be the first time that a cast member of AGT was racially condemned, with former host Nick Cannon being vocal about the issues he faced during his time on the show. Cannon quit the show in 2017 after seven years of hosting AGT and wrote a biting Facebook post in which he condemned NBC.
NBC is one of the most popular networks on air, and they owe it to their viewers, as well as their staff, to ensure the comfort of everyone.
“I was to be punished for a joke … My soul won’t allow me to be in business with corporations that attempt to frown on freedom of speech, censor artists and question cultural choices,” Cannon wrote. “Not to get too detailed, but this isn’t the first time executives have attempted to ‘put me in my place’ for so-called unruly actions.”
NBC seems to have a problem of making their employees of color feel uneasy, and still have yet to address what they are doing on their behalf to help put the issue to rest and prevent future occurrences.
NBC is one of the most popular networks on-air, and they owe it to their viewers, as well as their staff, to ensure the comfort of everyone. A step in the right direction would be to take accountability for what they are doing wrong in regards to the discomfort of the general public; they need to work towards a solution that would lead to a happier environment at “America’s Got Talent.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today
