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When America’s Got Talent premiered on television in 2006, the show was supposed to be all about celebrating the amazing things that anonymous people are capable of. However, even from the start, there was no doubt that America’s Got Talent viewers also tuned in to see the show’s terrible auditions too.
Fortunately for anyone who enjoys watching America’s Got Talent for its heartwarming moments, there is plenty of that in the show. Most notably, it is amazing to see the moments when people auditioning get the golden buzzer.
On the other hand, there are many examples of scandals and controversies that have revolved around America’s Got Talent over the years. Some examples of that include times when fans thought AGT judges were being jerks and when Nick Cannon was angry with the show’s producers.
On top of those incidents, there have been several times that America’s Got Talent scandals have been taken to another level. One such example of that is the time that Sharon Osbourne’s make-up artist wound up suing over something that took place during America’s Got Talent’s production.
Why Did Sharon Osbourne’s Make-up Artist Sue America’s Got Talent?
When people tune in to watch their favorite shows, they rarely think about all the work that goes into their production. The reason for that is pretty simple, most television viewers don’t actually know all that much about how shows are made.
One thing that virtually everyone knows about television production is that virtually everyone who appears onscreen goes through hair and make-up first. With that in mind, nobody should be surprised that Sharon Osbourne had a make-up artist work on her in 2012.
What the vast majority of America’s Got Talent fans have no idea about is what happened to Osbourne’s make-up artist in 2012.
According to a TMZ report, Osbourne’s make-up artist, Jude Alcala fell through a hole in America’s Got Talent’s set in 2012. After falling six feet, Alcala reportedly broke his femur which was a shoulder injury that was so severe that he required surgery.
After Alcala went through the incident and part of the recovery process, he filed a lawsuit against NBC and America’s Got Talent producers in 2013.
According to his lawsuit, Alcala claimed that his injuries were permanent and would continue to affect him throughout his life. Given how make-up artists work, it is easy to see how a severe shoulder injury could affect them.
Alcala also alleged that the show was responsible for what happened to him because they negligently maintained the show’s stage and didn’t put up any warnings about the hole.
Although there were a lot of headlines when Alcala filed his lawsuit, there has never been any follow-up. As a result, there is no way to know for sure what happened after Alcala sued NBC and America’s Got Talent.
Given the history of how the media handles major lawsuits in the entertainment industry, it seems reasonable to think there may have been some kind of settlement. After all, if Alcala’s lawsuit found its way into the courtroom, it is hard to imagine the media not reporting on the outcome.
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America’s Got Talent Has Dealt With Many Lawsuits
When Jude Alcala sued the bosses at NBC and America’s Got Talent, that garnered a lot of headlines. While it is perfectly understandable that fans would be interested in Alcala’s story, he sadly isn’t the only person who has taken the people behind America’s Got Talent to court.
One of the most talked about behind-the-scenes controversies related to America’s Got Talent revolved around Gabrielle Union’s firing. While Union technically didn’t file a lawsuit, this incident deserves to come up here since she did file a formal complaint.
According to Union, her treatment when she was an America’s Got Talent judge was wrong in several ways including being discriminated against for her race. In the end, Union and the people in charge of America’s Got Talent reached a confidential settlement.
Similar to Alcala, a woman named D’Arcy Gurr sued after claiming she’d suffered an injury on the set of America’s Got Talent. According to Gurr’s lawsuit, she sought $5 million
According to Gurr’s lawsuit, she was at an AGT taping when she tripped over wires that were left on the floor. Gurr also claimed that AGT’s producers allowed its set to be overcrowded and that played a role in her injury.
According to another lawsuit that stemmed from America’s Got Talent, Tyra Banks “physically manipulated and verbally abused” a young girl on the show’s set. The lawsuit was against Banks herself and America’s Got Talent’s producers.
The lawsuit was filed by an anonymous woman who was identified as Jane Doe in the paperwork. Jane also claimed in her lawsuit that she and her husband, who were the ones who actually auditioned on AGT, were “publicly humiliated” by their treatment on the show.
Deadline’s report on Jane Doe’s lawsuit partially sums up the claims about how Banks allegedly mistreated her daughter who was identified as Mary Doe in the paperwork.
“Banks shook Mary’s shoulder, pulled Mary’s hair back and physically manipulated Mary. … Mary did not stop Banks’ conduct because Mary was fearful. Banks also insinuated that Mary was accidentally conceived, made fun of the performance and ridiculed [the song] in front of Mary, all in front of active cameras that were filming Mary.”
Finally, the most shocking lawsuit which involves America’s Got Talent revolved around an alleged “wrongful death”.
According to that lawsuit, a woman named Maureen Allen was volunteering at a “county-sponsored science and engineering fair”. As she tried to enter the venue in her wheelchair, her access allegedly was blocked by “a large power cord protector” AGT had there to prepare for filming at the venue in the days that followed.
Allen’s family claimed that she tried to make it into the building to follow through on her plans to volunteer when the front wheel of her wheelchair got caught in the power cord protector. As a result, Allen’s wheelchair allegedly fell on its side resulting in her suffering a broken hip and injuries to her head and arms.
Those injuries allegedly resulted in Allen developing a blood clot and suffering a severe stroke which inquired her to undergo eight procedures. According to the lawsuit, Allen still had to be put on life support following the procedures and she passed away two days later.
Just like the lawsuit involving Sharon Osbourne’s make-up artist, there haven’t been any updates about any of the other times people have tried to take AGT to court.
