Dwyane Wade noted that he's waiting on a good answer from America’s Got Talent for firing his wife Gabrielle Union. As the controversy grows, many stars are calling on the Screen Actors Guild to take up the cause on Union's behalf.
The retired basketball pro is reacting to the news that Union was fired in retaliation after lodging a complaint about a racist comment made in her presence on the show. Former night-time talk show host Jay Leno was a guest judge on America's Got Talent. He allegedly made a racist comment, which Union felt was worthy of a trip to Human Resources. However, instead of taking Leno to task, America's Got Talent ultimately fired her and told her she wouldn't be returning for season 15 of the televised talent show. The fallout was swift. Fans began to comment en masse on Union's social media pages, lending gratitude and well-wishes. The next wave has come from other celebrities who are calling on the various guilds to intervene on Union's behalf.
"Men lie, Women lie, numbers don’t," Wade recently tweeted (via Us Weekly). "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," he continued. "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." That answer finally came in a statement when Freemantle - the production company behind the show - downplayed Union's termination and said that the show often refreshes its judging panel to keep things interesting.
The other terminated judge this season is actress, singer, and dancer Julianne Hough. She has yet to speak out publicly about any hostile treatment she received while on the show. It's possible that Hough is working hard to distance herself from the situation with Union. Not only that, but she has several projects pending with her brother Derek Hough, who also works for NBC on World of Dance. Her silence could be her way of keeping the peacock network happy, so they don't strip her of those opportunities as well.
As for Wade, he is being a dutiful husband, speaking out on his wife's behalf. The superstar couple has always been a united front in public and at red carpet events. However, short of an apology from NBC and maybe monetary compensation, what's left to be done? It's unlikely that Union would or should want to return to such a toxic environment as the America's Got Talent set - especially if the reports are true that they also criticized her for wearing hairstyles deemed "too black" for the show's core audience. It would just be better for Union to take that goodwill and develop something for herself at a different network alongside people who have social grace and integrity. Clearly, NBC and Simon Cowell have decided that her firing is consistent with the core values of America's Got Talent. So, the only thing left to do for people who are deeply disgusted by Union's treatment, as well as the allegedly toxic behavior on the show, is to boycott it. After all, there is enough talent-based programming out there to still offer performers a place in which to showcase their skills without subjecting them to the type of pain being documented by several former employees of this competition.
Source: Us Magazine