Howard Stern Rips Simon Cowell to Shreds Over Treatment of Female ‘AGT’ Judges
Howard Stern is speaking out about America’s Got Talent, one week after Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough were fired from the NBC talent show.
The shock jock and former AGT host called out the show’s creator and judge Simon Cowell for his treatment of female judges on the series, asking rhetorically on his SiriusXM show: “How is it that Simon Cowell has orchestrated this?”
“He sets it up that the men stay, no matter how ugly they are, no matter how old they are, no matter how fat they are, no matter how talentless they are,” he continued, adding that the show continuously switches out female judges for “hotter chicks and younger chicks.”
Variety was the first to break the news that Gabrielle and Julianne were fired. Soon after, numerous reports of a toxic racist and misogynistic culture were revealed by Gabrielle.
Specifically, according to Variety, Gabrielle approached producers about speaking with human resources about a joke made by guest judge Jay Leno that offended staffers of Asian descent.
Furthermore, NBC sources claimed that the two women were given excessive notes on their physical appearance with criticism about their hair, makeup, and wardrobe. Gabrielle was allegedly repeatedly told that her hairstyles were “too black” for the show’s audience.
NBC producers have denied all these claims in a recent statement.
Ouch! Is this the beginning of the end for America’s Got Talent?