Instagram | @gabunion

Gabrielle Union, Julianne Hough Concerned About 'Toxic Culture' At 'America's Got Talent': Source

Updated August 23, 2021

Fans of America's Got Talent were shocked to learn that after this season, starsGabrielle Union and Julianne Hough will not be returning next season as judges. A source has told Variety that part of the reason may be that the judges reportedly complained about a "toxic culture" on the show.

Part of the complaint reportedly centered around comedian Jay Leno.

Instagram | @gabunion

He appeared on AGT as a guest judge, and Variety's source states that during filming, he'd made an offensive joke about a portrait of Simon Cowell with his dogs. Leno allegedly joked that the dogs looked like "they would be on the menu at a Korean restaurant."

Variety reports that multiple sources stated that Gabrielle was uncomfortable with the joke and urged producers to report it to human resources at NBC.

Instagram | @gabunion

While the joke was cut from the television broadcast of the episode, the sources say that the issue never made it to the HR department.

The source also stated that, as the only female judges, Julianne and Gabrielle received "excessive" notes on their appearance.

Instagram | @gabunion

The source says that Gabrielle was frequently told her hairstyles were "too black" for the AGT audiences. Gabrielle declined to comment when Variety reached out to her, although Julianne denied that claim.