Being Called a 'White Woman' isn't the Same Thing as Hate, Heidi Klum

By Mae Abdulbaki | Celebrity | February 8, 2020 |

By Mae Abdulbaki | Celebrity | February 8, 2020 |

Back in November, reports surfaced that Gabrielle Union was allegedly fired as a judge on America’s Got Talent because she complained about a toxic workplace environment and racism behind the scenes. During the Television Critics Association winter press tour, former America’s Got Talent judge Heidi Klum chimed in to say that the same thing that may have happened to Union didn’t happen to her.

“I’ve only had an amazing experience [on the show]. I can’t speak for Gabrielle. I didn’t experience the same thing. To me, everyone treats you with the utmost respect,” Klum said.

Huh. OK. Klum’s comment definitely has the air of disbelief. As though what reportedly happened to Union couldn’t have happened in her experience because by golly, everyone is so respectful over at America’s Got Talent.

Strap in, dear readers, because this is where it gets really weird. Recently, Klum told PageSix that she got a lot of backlash for defending America’s Got Talent. (Gee, I can’t imagine why.) But, get this: Klum says the hateful comments included being called… a white woman.

“A lot of people got mad at me. I was called, for example, ‘a white woman.’ I think it is important for everyone to speak their truth. I think that when there is a story, it should be told. I had a different story. I can only speak to what I saw — it has nothing to do with what color I am. I am a human so I just looked at what I saw.”

Keep in mind that she is a white woman and that’s just a descriptor, not a racist or hateful comment. It’s honestly this kind of complete sense of unawareness that makes this world so exasperating. How can we move forward if Heidi Klum can’t differentiate between actual racism and being called a white woman, which, again, is what she is? We have such a long way to go.