Gabrielle Union says that Terry Crews’ lack of support after her firing from America’s Got Talent was “disappointing”, as she believes questions of job security might have been behind his widely criticized silence on the matter.
Union was let go by AGT after she called out a toxic work environment whose hallmarks were racism and sexism. Crews on his part, gave an interview on NBC show, Today, in which he spoke glowingly about his time on the AGT set.
“I have never been in a more diverse place in 20 years of entertainment. It was the best experience I ever had in my entire life.” he said before going on to diminish allegations of toxic work conditions because he claimed they’re all “coming from an unnamed source.”
Speaking on the Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast, the actress and activist said she thought Crews’ fears about being cut from the reality show might have played a part in his stance.
“People hit me all day long and are like, what’s happening? And the only thing I know for sure is that Terry Crews gets three checks from NBC. So, I don’t know if being worried about job stability — which listen, we all know that if you speak up about racism and white supremacy, you absolutely can be shown the door,” Union speculated. “I don’t know if that’s the motivation.”
Crews has attracted criticism recently for his tweets seemingly downplaying the prevalence of white supremacy and systematic racism. If his recent online activity was anything to go by, Union said, Crews could not be looked at as an ally.
“Based on his recent actions, do you really think Terry Crews was an ally, was helpful, was a sounding board? I think Terry Crews is showing us who he is and what he does during times of adversity and it’s not solidarity.”
Union, who supported Crews when he came out about being sexually assaulted in the past, said she felt let down when he did not do the same for her.
“Not to say if I offer you solidarity, I expect you to be the getaway driver during a bank robbery — that’s what he made it sound like in one of those series of tweets.
“If you saw something, say something. If you didn’t have my experience… you also have an option to say, ‘I believe Gab, I just had a different experience.’ End of story,” Union shared.
“You don’t have to do a press tour where your sole objective is to discredit and malign me. You know, I’ve been in Hollywood a very long time. There’s very little that surprises me, but that was very disappointing for sure.”
As more issues about AGT come to light, Union said, she expects Crews to regret his decision.
“Since I’ve been so vocal about what happened, the floodgates have opened. This reckoning is just hitting,” she said. “There is so much more that is coming… I have a feeling he will probably regret it for a thousand reasons, very soon.”
