Gabrielle Union demands Hollywood make changes ‘from the top to the bottom’ to address racism… following her harassment complaint against Simon Cowell and NBC
Gabrielle Union has spoken out about racism in the entertainment industry – and presented ways to potentially change it for the better.
The LA’s Finest actress, 47, made the statement during an interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Tuesday.
Speaking of the wholesale changes that need to be made, the mother-of-one declared, ‘You can’t put a Band-Aid on a gunshot.’
Ideas: Gabrielle Union has spoken to Trevor Noah about racism in the entertainment industry – and presented ways to potentially change it for the better
The actress earlier this month filed a complaint against NBC Universal, Simon Cowell and production companies FremantleMedia and SyCo, for harassment after she was fired by America’s Got Talent after serving just one season as a judge.
And the experience has taught her that those in charge in Hollywood have to be held accountable for their actions.
‘We have been so committed as an industry — I mean, and every industry is facing the same thing– with going along to get along, trying to figure out how you work around the bad apples as opposed to addressing and making those bad apples accountable and their being real consequences,’ Union told Noah.
‘Have mechanisms in place so when things happen, there are consequences.’
Passionate: Speaking of the wholesale changes that need to be made, the mother-of-one declared, ‘You can’t put a Band-Aid on a gunshot’
Bad experience: The actress earlier this month filed a complaint against NBC Universal, Simon Cowell and production companies FremantleMedia and SyCo, for harassment
The Bring It On actress continued, ‘In front of and behind the camera, there has to be an increase in representation from across the board, from the top to the bottom — who gets to make the decisions of which projects to green light, who is a part of those development processes, who gets to determine budgets.’
‘You have to dismantle the whole thing,’ said Union.
In May former judge Union broke her silence on being axed from the talent show last year.
She told Variety she was compelled to report racist jokes cracked by guest judge Jay Leno – but when she spoke up, she was cut from the show.
In her complaint to the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Union, 47, said network entertainment chair Paul Telegdy tried to stop her ‘from telling the truth about racist actions that took place’ on the network variety program.
Happier times: In May former judge Union broke her silence on being axed from the talent show last year