Heidi Klum defends ‘America’s Got Talent’ following Gabrielle Union firing

Heidi Klum is coming to the defence of America’s Got Talent (AGT) following the firing of Gabrielle Union.

Klum is currently on the panel of judges for AGT: The Champions with Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Howie Mandel.

In late November, it was announced that Union and Julianne Hough would not be returning to AGT next season. Days later, Variety published a report claiming there was a “toxic culture” on the set of AGT.

According to Variety’s report, Union had concerns over alleged offensive incidents that happened on set.

The report alleged both judges were subject to “excessive notes” about physical appearance and claimed that AGT had a culture of toxic, racist jokes.

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Variety also quoted multiple unnamed sources saying Union was told several times that her hairstyles were “too black” for the competition show.

1:21 New report says Simon Cowell’s smoking among reasons for clash with Gabrielle Union on ‘AGT’

On Dec. 1, 2019, a joint statement was released by NBC, FremantleMedia, which produces the show, and Cowell’s entertainment company Syco regarding Union.

“We remain committed to ensuring a respectful workplace for all employees and take very seriously any questions about workplace culture,” the group’s statement read.

“We are working with Ms. Union through her representatives to hear more about her concerns, following which we will take whatever next steps may be appropriate.”

Klum said the tension between the judges on the panel of AGT is just “fun.”

“Of course, there’s always this cat-and-dog fight, but this is fun. You say something silly,” she shared. “For me, being on television, I want to entertain people. I want people to have a good time. I want people to go away from their life for two hours and just have fun and enjoy.”

Last weekend, NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy addressed the investigation into Union’s firing from the hit competition series.

“The curation long term of a brand comes with the ebbs and flows of who comes, who goes. And we proudly embrace making shows better. What we also proudly embrace at NBC Entertainment is the notion that we could always be a better workplace,” he said at the TCA winter press tour.

“We are in the middle of an investigation, and that’s really serious, I can’t deny it. I’ve never had one before. That’s being handled by lawyers.