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Home / Entertainment

Gabrielle Union's husband says she was 'fired' from her role as America's Got Talent judge

BANG! Showbiz
28 Nov, 2019 07:27 PM4 mins to read

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Gabrielle Union spoke out about Jay Leno's inappropriate comments, and now she isn't returning as an America's Got Talent judge. Photo / Getty Images

Gabrielle Union spoke out about Jay Leno's inappropriate comments, and now she isn't returning as an America's Got Talent judge. Photo / Getty Images

Gabrielle Union's husband claims she was "fired" from 'America's Got Talent'.

Dwyane Wade took to Twitter to question why his wife "was being fired", after it was confirmed this week that she and Julianne Hough are to leave the panel of the talent show.

He tweeted: "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.

READ MORE:
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"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. (sic)"

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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

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

Gabrielle has also liked a tweet which claims she was "fired".

It read: "The first public word from @itsgabrielleu after she was fired last Friday by NBC (sic)"

Gabrielle has opened up about feeling "humbled and thankful" after all the support she has received this week.

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While she didn't refer directly to 'America's Got Talent', she wrote: "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 (sic)"

It comes after reports this week claimed Gabrielle called for Jay Leno to be reported over an offensive joke he made while recording 'America's Got Talent'.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Simon Cowell (@simoncowell)

The 47-year-old actress is said to have urged an NBC executive to speak with the human resources department at the network after the former talk show host quipped Simon Cowell's dogs looked like something found "on the menu at a Korean restaurant".

It is claimed many who were present for the taping, especially the "very few Asian staffers", were offended by the line, which was spoken directly to camera, so Gabrielle urged producers to report it.

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What's more, insiders telling Variety about a "toxic culture" at the show recalled how Gabrielle and other members of staff shared concerns about a white male auditionee whose act involved rapid costume changes into famous singers, with one meant to be an impersonation of Beyonce Knowles with black hands.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Simon Cowell (@simoncowell)

According to the sources, the judge "immediately" advised a segment producer and an executive producer to remove the contestant from the line-up but they declined and said: "We'll take it out later".

However, Gabrielle pushed further and insisted the studio audience shouldn't be subjected to seeing the act, but he still made it to the stage and his audition was later cut from the episode.

Show producers insist they embrace "inclusivity and diversity".

NBC and Fremantle said 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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