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Well, at the very least, you could say nothing, Terry. Of course, you could’ve also said that regardless of your own experience you still believe your friend and colleague, but I guess that’s too much to ask.

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Needless to say, Union’s supporters—and black women, in particular—were not at all amused by Crews’ seeming lack of support for one who so readily and publicly supported him, presenting receipts as proof of his hypocrisy.

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Others brought up the fact that Crews has previously proved problematic as an ally, pointing out the “heteronormative and patriarchal” take on parenting he shared (and doubled down on) last spring, as well as his “apology” to the same black men who openly disputed and mocked his sexual assault claims, tweeting, “Truth is, if it had not happened to me, I would have been suspicious and doubtful too.”

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Seems Crews is still empathy-deficient in that respect since although it didn’t happen to him, he refuses to validate Union’s experience of toxicity within NBC’s ranks. It’s disappointing—and frankly, we’re tired.

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Ironically, when Crews was in the midst of his own crisis, he addressed what he called “cognitive dissonance” when it comes to dealing with crucial issues like sexual assault and racism in Hollywood, telling an audience at the 2018 Sundance Festival (h/t Variety):

A lot of times, Hollywood can be like a religious service. You’re doing so many things that you don’t even know why you’re doing them anymore. It’s like, this is how it’s done...Do you buy in? Do you sell out? What are you into? There’s this cognitive dissonance that you deal with, like two opposing beliefs in your brain at the same time. Which one do you believe?

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How about believing black women, Terry? We believed you.

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As for Union, she responded to the betrayal and subsequent outpouring of support on social media with her own tweet to a follower, which read in part:

“Truth telling, wanting change & having MULTIPLE witnesses who bravely came forward to let EVERYONE know I didn’t lie or exaggerate, really exposes those who enthusiastically will throw you under the bus, forgetting quickly who stepped up 4 THEIR truth.”

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Yes, how quickly we forget, Terry—that “to whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). We gave you our support, and we expect better from you, in return. Because as you told the Sundance audience: “Until you hold everyone accountable every time, nothing will change.”