Did America's Got Talent dump Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough over toxic culture complaints?

Variety

Variety reports producers repeatedly criticized Union for having hair that was "too black" and that Hough "received consistent criticism on hair, makeup and wardrobe, which impacted her morale and led to tensions." Both Union and Hough, whose contracts weren't renewed after one season on AGT, "received excessive notes on their physical appearance," reports Variety's Matt Donnelly. He also reports that Union repeatedly complained about racial insensitivity on the show. For instance, Union raised concerns with producers when guest judge Jay Leno made a joke about Asians eating dogs while taping an interstitial segment. She also shared her concern over a white male performer's gimmick that involved him, at one point, pretending to be Beyoncé with black hands. Union declined to comment to Variety, while representatives for Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment had no comment. Hough, meanwhile, denied to Variety that there was tension, but in the same interview she plugged two upcoming NBC projects. “I had a wonderful time on America’s Got Talent, I loved working with the cast, crew and producers. I am happy to continue my working relationship with NBC,” said Hough. As Donnelly notes, this isn't the first time AGT has been accused of being insensitive to its top talent. After Nick Cannon resigned abruptly after seven seasons, he accused NBC of trying to maintain a squeaky-clean image. “Not to get too detailed but this isn’t the first time executives have attempted to ‘put me in my place’ for so-called unruly actions," he said in a Showtime standup special. Asked for comment, NBC and series producer Fremantle issued the following statement: "America’s Got Talent has a long history of inclusivity and diversity in both our talent and the acts championed by the show. The judging and host line-up has been regularly refreshed over the years and that is one of the reasons for AGT’s enduring popularity. NBC and the producers take any issues on set seriously.”