Cowell racism storm as axed judge says she was told: You dress ‘too black’
SIMON COWELL was last night embroiled in a racism row after a judge on his America’s Got Talent television show claimed she was told that her hairstyle and clothes were ‘too black’.
Actress Gabrielle Union, 47, who was axed last month, is threatening legal action against British entertainment mogul Cowell’s company Syco, which co-produces the show.
She claims the working environment on AGT, which attracts about 10 million viewers, was ‘toxic’, that Cowell, 60, a fellow judge, was too dominant and that chatshow host Jay Leno cracked inappropriate jokes when he was a guest.
She also claims there was no mechanism for raising her grievances, even though she talked with Cowell at his home in Malibu in May.
A source close to Union told The Mail on Sunday last night: ‘She’s in discussions with Simon’s people and [broadcaster] NBC, but she isn’t prepared to back down.
‘This isn’t going away. Gabrielle kept complaining about Simon’s total autonomy.
‘She was shocked when she was told that her hair and wardrobe was “too black” and she immediately tried to lodge a complaint, but there wasn’t a place to go.’ The source added that on Tuesday, NBC held a five-hour crisis meeting with Urban, who replaced Spice Girl Mel B as a judge this season, joining Cowell, comedian Howie Mandel and dancer Julianne Hough. In a statement last night, Syco, AGT co-producer Fremantle and NBC said: ‘AGT has a long history of inclusivity and diversity. . . We are working with Ms Union . . . to hear more about her concerns, following which we will take whatever next steps [are] appropriate.’