Gabrielle Union Wants to 'Chat' With Orlando Jones After His Alleged Firing by 'AGT' Production Company
Gabrielle Union wants to "chat" with Orlando Jones following his alleged firing from American Gods.
The 51-year-old actor took to social media on Saturday to claim he was fired from the Starz series on Sept. 10, because his character, Mr. Nancy, sends "the wrong message for black America."
An American Gods spokesperson later responded to Jones' claims in a statement to ET.
"The storylines of American Gods have continually shifted and evolved to reflect the complex mythology of the source material," the statement reads. "Mr. Jones' option was not picked up because Mr. Nancy, among other characters, is not featured in the portion of the book we are focusing on within season 3."
"Several new characters, many of which have already been announced, will be introduced into Shadow Moon’s world that will further contribute to the show’s legacy as one of the most diverse series on television," the statement concluded.
Jones hit back at Fremantle in a tweet on Saturday, reaching out to Union and others directly. "Correction: I was fired Sept 10, 2019 like @itsgabrielleu @OfficialMelB @NickCannon @heidiklum all have said @FremantleUS is a nightmare. They treated you like a 2nd class citizen for doing your job to well. Stay tuned. More to come. #AngryGetsSh*tDone," he wrote.
Union responded to Jones' tweet, writing, "Ohhhhhhhhhhh 👀🤔🤨 let's chat my friend. #StrongerTogether."
Ohhhhhhhhhhh 👀🤔🤨 let's chat my friend. #StrongerTogetherhttps://t.co/o2dE6PtjpH
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) December 14, 2019
Union departed AGT late last month, afterwhich a Variety report claimed that the judge had expressed concern about the show's "toxic culture" to NBC's Human Resources department. NBC and Fremantle responded to the report with a statement praising AGT's long history of "inclusivity and diversity," and explained Union and Julianne Hough's exits as routine cycling out of judges. However, Union's husband, Dwyane Wade, claimed on Twitter that she was fired from the show.
In a statement to ET at the time, NBC, Fremantle and Syco said: "We remain committed to ensuring a respectful workplace for all employees and take very seriously any questions about workplace culture. 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."
Last week, after a five-hour meeting with Union, NBC revealed it was launching a deeper investigation into her claims.
"The initial conversation was candid and productive. While there will be a further investigation to get a deeper understanding of the facts, we are working with Gabrielle to come to a positive resolution," an NBC spokesperson told ET in a statement.
See more in the video below.
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