Gabrielle Union Plots Next Move After ‘America’s Got Talent’ Departure

Gabrielle Union is looking forward after her very public firing from America’s Got Talent. The 47-year-old actress will head behind the camera for Black Coffee, which will debut on the upcoming short-form streaming service, Quibi. According to Deadline, Union will serve as the executive producer alongside Morgan Cooper, who will also write and direct.

Black Coffee will tell the story of a star basketball player from Kansas City, who blows his chance at going pro after an injury. After becoming a national barista champion, he moves back home to open his own coffee shop to help revitalize his struggling community.

Union also executive produces and stars in L.A.’s Finest, a police procedural where she reprises her Bad Boys 2 character, Sydney Burnett. The series debuted on Spectrum in May of 2019, and was greenlighted for a second season over the summer.

There’s currently no release date, though Quibi is set to launch in April of next year. The upstart streaming service is being masterminded by former Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg. Unlike other services, Quibi (short for ‘Quick Bites’) will be exclusive to phones and tablets while focusing on content that doesn’t exceed 10 minutes. It will have movies, though they’ll be parceled out into shorter segments on the platform.

Along with Union, Quibi has attracted talent ranging from Kevin Hart to Naomi Watts to Steven Spielberg. Upcoming projects include Dodge and Miles, which stars Liam Hemsworth, and a series adaptation of the 2003 rom-com How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days. The service will launch on April 6 next year.

After being fired from America’s Got Talent, Union has received an outpouring of support from both fans and colleagues. After her and fellow judge, Julianne Hough were let go despite only appearing for a single season, Union made headlines by pointing out the show’s toxic, often racist, work environment. While she has explicitly stated she won’t return to the NBC competition series, she has met with the network about her concerns, which Union said has been “productive.”

After the meeting, NBC released a statement, which declared that “there will be a further investigation to get a deeper understanding of the facts, we are working with Gabrielle to come to a positive resolution.” The network has also launched an investigation into the matter, with executive producer Simon Cowell at the center.