Gabrielle Union Slams Simon Cowell For Believing ‘Rules Don’t Apply To Him’

Gabrielle Union has slammed Simon Cowell for his reported misbehaviour during her time on America’s Got Talent.

Following her sudden departure from the show last year, it was revealed Union had filed a complaint against America’s Got Talent producers and NBCUniversal while she was a judge on the show over allegations of racism and sexism on set.

An external investigation into Union’s high-profile exit later found her concerns about the show’s workplace had ‘no bearing’ on her dismissal, according to NBC. Now, the Bring It On actor has claimed Cowell didn’t believe ‘the rules apply to him’ when she worked with him.

The 47-year-old actor, who is severely allergic to cigarette smoke, continued:

When your boss — the person who has the ability to determine who gets opportunities and who doesn’t — doesn’t believe that the law applies to him or the rules apply to him…

And he does it in full view of NBC, Fremantle and Syco and no one cares about Simon Cowell exposing all of these employees to second-hand smoke… that’s day one.

What message do you think that sends to anyone that has an issue with the very real racism and the lack of accountability? And it goes on and on and on.

Union went on to talk about the recent discrimination complaint she filed against America’s Got Talent producers and NBCUniversal, saying she decided to participate in the external investigation because she believed it to be ‘independent’.

‘Well, silly me, I thought independent was like independent,’ she said, adding: ‘But when NBC and Fremantle and Syco pay for that investigation, they control it.’ Union went on to give examples about how she was undermined during the course of the investigation, including the time she claimed an NBC executive threatened her agent.

‘This is what’s happening from the top of the company,’ she said. ‘As we’re all wanting to be part of the solution and we’re all wanting change, we have to hold the people at the very top accountable.’

She went on to say there needs to be an increase in representation across the board in the industry for any real change to be made, saying the whole system needs to be dismantled. ‘You can’t put a band-aid on a gunshot wound, you just can’t,’ she concluded.