'You are literally met with the very definition of a toxic work environment, and it's being carried out by the most powerful person on the production.'
She says the problems started right from her first moments on set, when show creator and judge Simon Cowell smoked in front of her even though she's severely allergic. She claims she addressed it with producers, who said that nothing was going to be done -- even though it directly affected her ability to do her job.
Union says her having a constant runny nose also affected judge Howie Mandel, who sat by her onstage, due to"It was challenging to tend to my illness without being made to feel like I'm responsible for my own sickness," she says."It put me in a position from day one where I felt othered. I felt isolated. I felt singled out as being difficult, when I’m asking for basic laws to be followed. I want to come to work and be healthy and safe and listened to.
"Through the investigation process, it has been revealed that no one associated with the show made any insensitive or derogatory remarks about Ms. Union's appearance, and that neither race nor gender was a contributing factor in the advancement or elimination of contestants at any time," the statement also reads."The investigation has shown that the concerns raised by Ms. Union had no bearing on the decision not to exercise the option on her contract.
"My first big interview in this industry, the first person who allowed me to come on their talk show, was Jay Leno," Union says."I've always held him in high regard, but I was not prepared for his joke. I gasped. I froze. Other things had already happened, but at this point, it was so wildly racist."
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