Terry Crews has apologized to Gabrielle Union for his recent public remarks on her departure as a judge on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”
The “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” actor posted a series of tweets on Friday, noting there were “a lot of Black women hurt and let down by what I said and also by what I didn’t say.”
“I hear you, I respect you and understand you,” Crews wrote in a later tweet. “I am sorry and I am here to support you. I spoke from my own personal point of view without first taking into consideration someone else’s experience.”
During an appearance on the “Today” show last week, Crews was asked to address Union’s seemingly abrupt exit from the talent competition show after serving as a judge for one season, as well as reports that Union had complained about a culture of racism on the set of the show before leaving.
Crews responded by saying, “That was never my experience on ‘America’s Got Talent.’”
He emphasized his point by noting the show was “the most diverse place I have ever been in my 20 years of entertainment.”
Days later, Crews posted a since-deleted tweet about his wife, Rebecca King Crews, writing that he has “only one woman [on] earth” to please – a statement many perceived to be a rebuttal to wide criticism that he thew Union under the bus.
Twitter users also accused Crews of disregarding Union’s experience as a Black woman, especially when so many Black women ― including Union ― publicly supported Crews when he shared his story as a survivor of sexual assault.
“I allowed disrespectful comments directed at me and my family to cause me to react angrily instead of responding thoughtfully,” Crews tweeted on Friday. “This certainly caused more harm, and it is my hope that I can amend any pain I have caused to those who were hurt by my words.”
Crews then tweeted directly to Union, saying, “It was never my intention to invalidate your experience — but that is what I did. I apologize. You have been through a lot in this business, and with that I empathize with the struggle toward fairness and equality in the workplace.”
The “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star called Union a “role model to the entire Black community,” and said he should have “understood you just needed my support.”
In December, Union tweeted that she had a productive “lengthy 5-hour” meeting with representatives at NBC about the matter.
NBC addressed the investigation in a statement at the time, calling the initial conversation “candid and productive,” according to The Associated Press.
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