The controversy that has resulted from the firing of Gabrielle Union from America’s Got Talent has put the show in a bad place as it attempts to move forward from the drama. With an investigation in the works, it is possible changes are coming.

After Union was fired following the latest season of America’s Got Talent, she raised accusations of the toxic culture and racial insensitivity in the show’s workplace. Also fired was Julianne Hough, a judge alongside Union, while Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel are slated to return. Cowell has been facing criticism from former judges, including Sharon Osborne and Howard Stern, who say there is a “boys club” on the show that Cowell emboldens. Since leaving, Union has leaned on her husband Dwyane Wade for support. Many, including Will Smith, have come to Union’s defense in the wake of this news.

According to THR, Cowell is not at the center of the investigation. The complaints span further back than just last year. Union had been told that her hairstyles were “too black”, but Nick Cannon, who quit as host in 2017, said that he had similar issues. A source told THR, “There’s a definite disconnect with more urban culture.”

Cowell hasn’t been the only perpetrator of these types of offenses on the show. When Jay Leno was a guest judge on America’s Got Talent in August, he made a racist joke about Asians eating dog meat. The denigrating statement was reportedly caught on cameras during filming but was cut from the show. In response to these comments, president and director of Advancing Justice John C. Yang told Variety that distasteful humor like that is, “so toxic because it is intended to minimize a community and somehow make that community seem less civilized.”

As America’s Got Talent prepares for the premiere of its 15th season in March, questions still abound as to how we should feel about Cowell and the show at large. If these accusations that Union brought up are true - and let’s be clear, there is no reason for us to believe they were made up - then action needs to be taken to ensure this type of behavior isn’t allowed in the future. If that means axing a front-facing talent who has been long beloved in the history of performative reality television, so be it. There are countless employers globally who treat women, and specifically women of color, wrongly. For it to happen behind closed doors of a primetime network show is, though not uncommon, extremely dismaying. It sets a terrible example for those watching at home and is the antithesis of what America’s Got Talent should be about in the first place.

Next: Mom of America’s Got Talent Winner Kodi Lee ‘Suprised’ By Gabrielle Union Firing Controversy

Source: Variety, THR