Former America’s Got Talent judge Gabrielle Union is “humbled and thankful” for the support she has received over the past few days.
Days after it was announced that Union and Julianne Hough would depart from the show, Union posted to Twitter to share a heartful message to her fans.
“So many tears, so much gratitude. THANK YOU! Just when you feel lost, adrift, alone… you got me up off the ground. Humbled and thankful, forever,” she tweeted.
Although the actress didn’t mention America’s Got Talent in her message, she did ‘like’ a tweet from a reporter who mentioned that she was let go of from the show. “The first public word from @itsgabrielleu after she was fired last Friday by NBC.”
Union’s tweet was posted hours after her husband, Dwyane Wade, defended her following her exit from the reality competition show. There was no clear reason why Union and Hough’s contracts were not extended, other than the judges are often cycled out, however, Union’s husband took to Twitter and asked for the reason why his wife was fired.
“‘Men lie, Women lie, numbers don’t’ Over this past year I’ve been approached by many people saying that my wife @itsgabrielleu is the main reason they’ve started watching #AGT or that they love her insight and sincerity on the show,” Wade tweeted. “So when i got the news that my wife was being fired — my first question was obviously why!? I am still waiting on a good answer to that question. But if anyone knows @itsgabrielleu or have heard of her you know she’s an advocate for our community and culture.”
On Tuesday, November 27, Variety published a story about Union expressing concern over the “toxic culture” that surrounds America’s Got Talent. One of the alleged incidents that occurred during her time on the show was an act that she found racially insensitive during the audition rounds.
In addition to that, sources who spoke to Variety also claimed that the star received specific critical network notes on her hairstyles, which were allegedly deemed to be “too black” for the show’s audience, and that she received notes like this multiple times.
The production company of America’s Got Talent, NBC and Fremantle, responded to the report and the allegations on Tuesday, in a statement, “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.”
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So many tears, so much gratitude. THANK YOU! Just when you feel lost, adrift, alone… you got me up off the ground. Humbled and thankful, forever ❤
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) November 28, 2019
28. The first public word from @itsgabrielleu after she was fired last Friday by NBC https://t.co/UhuWr3y3co https://t.co/X2j3OOaWAq
— Yashar Ali
So when i got the news that my wife was being fired—my first question was obviously why!? Iam still waiting on a good answer to that question. But if anyone knows @itsgabrielleu or have heard of her you know she’s an advocate for our community and culture.
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) November 27, 2019
Brittany R
Brittany is a writer who is obsessed with rom-com movies, Gossip Girl, reality television, fashion, and pop-culture. When she isn't reporting on the latest celeb buzz, she is filling up her online shopping cart without checking out.