Gabrielle Union refuses to ‘center fear’ in life and discusses America’s Got Talent racism claims

Gabrielle Union is standing strong in her power nearly one year after being fired from America’s Got Talent, to which she waged a public battle and filed harassment and discrimination complaints against NBC.

The 47-year-old actress told Marie Claire in a sit-down interview that she received ‘excessive notes’ from producers about her ‘too wild’ appearance, words she perceived as ‘too Black.’  

‘I should be able to exist however the f** I want to exist,’ she said. ‘Because if you’re hiring Gabrielle Union for my talent, then my talent is going to come out of my body in every way, shape, and incarnation that I can imagine. 

Bold: Gabrielle Union is standing strong in her power nearly one year after being fired from America’s Got Talent, to which she waged a public battle and filed harassment and discrimination complaints against NBC

‘You’re getting more bang for your buck the more you allow me to exist as I see fit.’  

Union recently reached an undisclosed settlement with the network following allegations of a toxic work environment. 

And Gabrielle insists she ‘rejects’ the form of gaslighting, where she was made to fear speaking out about her experiences.

‘These racist institutions and systems have done an amazing job at keeping us very fearful of speaking up, asking for equality, and asking for accountability, because they have shown us time and time again that we are disposable,’ she said. 

Strong: The 47-year-old actress told Marie Claire in a sit-down that she received 'excessive notes' from producers about her 'too wild' appearance, words she perceived as 'too Black'

Strong: The 47-year-old actress told Marie Claire in a sit-down that she received ‘excessive notes’ from producers about her ‘too wild’ appearance, words she perceived as ‘too Black’

'I should be able to exist however the f** I want to exist,' she said. 'Because if you're hiring Gabrielle Union for my talent, then my talent is going to come out of my body in every way, shape, and incarnation that I can imagine'

‘I should be able to exist however the f** I want to exist,’ she said. ‘Because if you’re hiring Gabrielle Union for my talent, then my talent is going to come out of my body in every way, shape, and incarnation that I can imagine’

‘They will discredit and malign you, and you will never work again. Being blackballed in this industry is very real.’ 

The statement released last week noted: ‘NBC Entertainment appreciates the important concerns raised by Gabrielle Union and remains committed to ensuring an inclusive and supportive working environment where people of all backgrounds are treated with respect.’ 

Skeptics have criticized Union’s actions and claimed her firing was anything but racially motivated.

‘That very sentiment is how all of this has been allowed to go on for centuries; that kind of gaslighting, I categorically reject,’ she said. ‘You are not going to gaslight me into minimizing my trauma, which is exactly what allows this to continue on for the next person. 

'You are not going to gaslight me into minimizing my trauma, which is exactly what allows this to continue on for the next person,' she said

‘You are not going to gaslight me into minimizing my trauma, which is exactly what allows this to continue on for the next person,’ she said 

'They will discredit and malign you, and you will never work again. Being blackballed in this industry is very real'

‘They will discredit and malign you, and you will never work again. Being blackballed in this industry is very real’

‘I emptied out my basket of f***s. I cannot center fear in my life. I can’t center functioning from a fear of scarcity. They say silence is violence, and I refuse to be complicit in my silence. I have to be fully present in my body and fully free.’  

She insisted that speaking out against injustice wasn’t solely for self gains, but for the greater good.

‘The more you are transparent and the more you speak truth to power, it creates more space for other people to claim their reality, to claim their pain, to claim their healing, and, if you want, to claim your justice,’ she said.  

'The more you are transparent and the more you speak truth to power, it creates more space for other people to claim their reality, to claim their pain, to claim their healing, and, if you want, to claim your justice,' she said

‘The more you are transparent and the more you speak truth to power, it creates more space for other people to claim their reality, to claim their pain, to claim their healing, and, if you want, to claim your justice,’ she said