America’s Got Talent is a fan favorite, but behind the scenes, there have been allegations of a “toxic workplace culture,” from racial insensitivity to too much attention paid to the (female) judge’s physical appearance.
3 Workplace Woes
In a recent article published by Variety, the reason judges Gabrielle Union and Juilanne Hough won’t be back for another season is due to this uncomfortable environment. Union was upset about a joke made by Jay Leno, commenting on a painting of judge Simon Cowell and his dogs. Leno supposedly said, “The pets looked like something one would find on the menu at a Korean restaurant,” prompting Union to confront the show’s producers to get the racially insensitive incident reported.
There was another occurrence where a white performer used fake black hands to impersonate Beyoncé. Neither bit made it to TV.
2 Focus On The Physical
Sources commented on how Union and Hough were given “excessive notes on their physical appearance,” and Union’s hairstyles were “too black” for AGT viewers. While Hough stated, “I had a wonderful time on ‘America’s Got Talent,’ I loved working with the cast, crew, and producers. I am happy to continue my working relationship with NBC,” there’s been no word from Union at this time.
1 What NBC Says
NBC released a response to Yahoo Entertainment about the allegations, “America’s Got Talent has a long history of inclusivity and diversity in both our talent and the acts championed by the show. 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. NBC and the producers take any issues on set seriously."
