Gary Gershoff/Getty Images, Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagicTerry Crews has some explaining to do.
As one of the numerous celebs on America's Got Talent, Terry Crews is among the few individuals who truly knew what went on behind the scenes of the show. So when Gabrielle Union claimed there were "offensive" events happening on the set, it was assumed Terry was a witness to some of these alleged occurrences.
But now it appears Crews is claiming he never experienced or witnessed any instances of racism during his time on the show, despite multiple sources who said otherwise. In Thursday's Today interview, he admits that he "can't speak for sexism" because he's not a woman, but he makes his stance clear on the issue of racism in the workplace. "That was never my experience on America's Got Talent. In fact, it was the most diverse place I have ever been in my 20 years of entertainment," he explains. "The top 10 acts were Asian, women, older, younger, Black, white—it was everything in the gamut."
He seemingly implies he was apprehensive to believe in the claims because he understood it came from an "unnamed source."
"When you look at what the allegations were about, it was given by an unnamed source. My thing is—you know, 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," he states, apparently unaware of the fact Gabrielle and her husband have addressed the controversy and ensuing investigation on their respective social media accounts.
Terry reveals he hasn't spoken to Gabrielle since learning of the accusations, because he hasn't "heard anything."
Of course, word of this interview got back to Union and she's not sitting by idly. Instead, the actress is addressing Terry's statements, while not explicitly naming him. In a tweet seemingly directed at Crews, she states, "Truth telling, wanting change & having MULTIPLE witnesses who bravely came forward to let EVERYONE know I didn't lie or exaggerate, really exposes those who enthusiastically will throw you under the bus, forgetting quickly who stepped up 4 THEIR truth."
As some may recall, Terry Crews accused WME agent Adam Venit of sexually assaulting him at a February 2016 party. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles City Attorney and Los Angeles County D.A. both rejected the actor's criminal complaint because it did not rise to the level of a felony.
It would seem Union feels betrayed by her former co-star. "Why anyone would gleefully get up on TV and tell lies that NO ONE disputed... But we already know," Union shares.
She adds in another tweet, "Can someone please ask abt what happens to all that diversity folks are talking about BEHIND THE SCENES. Like, legit... where the hell is all that diversity in the production though homie? In the decision making ranks who control the fate of the diversity in front of the camera?" This is likely in response to Terry's assertion that AGT is diverse because the contestants themselves were of various backgrounds.
And Union admits she and the other individuals involved in the investigation "agreed to let the investigation be completed before speaking," but Terry's words have her saying, "let's gooooooooooo!"
In her final tweet—at least for the moment—the LA's Finest star points out there is an "egregious lack of diversity" across the board at AGT. "Let's also talk about where the diversity is in the hair & makeup dept for contestants that DOES NOT reflect all that diversity that hits the stage. Let's Google the exec's that run the show & ask follow up ?? about THAT egregious lack of diversity. Let's discuss the facts," she demands.
While Gabrielle is the only star to publicly confirm the allegations of racism and sexism on the set—Heidi Klum said she "only had an amazing experience" and Julianne Hough only said she had a "wonderful" time—NBC acknowledges improvements can be made in creating a better workplace. "We remain committed to ensuring a respectful workplace for all employees and take very seriously any questions about workplace culture," NBC said in a joint statement with America's Got Talent production companies Fremantle and Syco, founded by show judge and executive producer Simon Cowell. "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."
Moreover, according to NBC Entertainment Chairman Paul Telegdy, the investigation into Gabrielle's firing is ongoing. He told the press at the Winter TCA tour, "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 work place... 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."
(E! and NBC are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)