Terry Crews Apologizes to Gabrielle Union After Defending 'America's Got Talent'

The 'AGT' host received backlash this month after he praised the show's diversity.

February 1, 2020

Terry Crews has issued a public apology to Gabrielle Union over his controversial comments about America's Got Talent.

"I told @KevinHart4real a while ago, he needed 2 'acknowledge the pain of other people.' Right now I have to do the same thing," he wrote in a series of tweets. "I want to apologize for the comments I made. I realize there are a lot of Black women hurt and let down by what I said and also by what I didn’t say."

He then addressed Union directly, writing: "@itsgabrielleu, I want you to know it was never my intention to invalidate your experience– but that is what I did. I apologize. You have been through a lot in this business, and with that I empathize with the struggle toward fairness and equality in the workplace. You are a role model to the entire black community and In my desire to be professionally neutral as your co-worker, I should have at the very least understood you just needed my support."

The 51-year-old actor caught heat earlier this month after he defended the team behind AGT—insisting he never witnessed any racism while on set. Many criticized Crews' comments, as they seemingly dismissed the reports of racially insensitive behavior that occurred on set—reports that surfaced following Union's controversial ousting from the competition series.

"That was never my experience. In fact, it was the most diverse place I have ever been in my 20 years of entertainment," he said during an appearance on TODAY. "When you look at what the allegations were about, it was given by an unnamed source. It's funny because I believe you should listen to women, you should always believe women, so I asked my wife what I should do. She was like, 'first of all, if it's coming from an unnamed source — because Gabrielle Union has not made any statement to this day about any of these allegations publicly … if she hasn't made a statement, why would you?'"

Union appeared to respond to Crews' remarks via Twitter, referring to unnamed individuals "who enthusiastically will throw you under the bus, forgetting quickly who stepped up 4 THEIR truth." Some were convinced Union was alluding to Crews' highly publicized #MeToo case, in which he accused a Hollywood agent of groping him during an industry event.

Shortly after AGT confirmed Union would not be returning to the show, multiple sources came forward claiming the actress raised concerns about the "toxic culture" behind the scenes. Insiders said Union had urged producers to report a racist joke told by guest judge Jay Leno and was told that her hairstyles were "too black" for the AGT audience. NBC has launched an investigation into the allegations nearly two months ago.