Gabrielle Union, NBC Reach Settlement After Claims of AGT's Toxic Workplace

Rebecca Iannucci
·2 min read

Former America’s Got Talent judge Gabrielle Union has reached a settlement with NBC, following her claims in 2019 that AGT fostered a toxic work environment.

“We’ve reached an amicable resolution,” NBC and Union’s spokespeople said in a joint statement on Tuesday. “NBC Entertainment appreciates the important concerns raised by Gabrielle Union and remains committed to ensuring an inclusive and supportive working environment where people of all backgrounds can be treated with respect.”

Though details of the settlement have not been made public, our sister site Deadline reports that Union received “significant” compensation from NBC.

Union’s clash with the network first made headlines in November 2019, when it was reported that neither she nor Julianne Hough would return as AGT judges. Union then went public with her concerns about the show’s behind-the-scenes environment, alleging that AGT was a hotbed of racial insensitivity, sexism and misconduct.

An independent investigation was launched into Union’s claims, but in May, NBC announced the investigation’s conclusion 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 findings did, however, highlight “some areas in which reporting processes could be improved” at the show.)

In June, Union filed a complaint with California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing against NBCUniversal, AGT producers Fremantle and Syco, and Union’s fellow judge Simon Cowell, citing her experiences with racial insensitivity and sexism on set. The complaint also named then-NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy, who allegedly warned Union to stop pursuing her claims of racism; Telegdy has since been let go from NBC, following an investigation into his toxic behavior with both Union and many other NBC employees.

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