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Nick Cannon Fired From ViacomCBS Following His Anti-Semitic Rant: Is ‘Wild ‘n Out’ Canceled?
Nick Cannon was fired by ViacomCBS, the conglomerate which owns MTV and Nickelodeon, following an anti-Semitic rant on his podcast on June 30. Now fans are concerned about the future of his hit show Wild ‘n Out.
“ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind, and we categorically denounce all forms of anti-Semitism,” a spokesperson for the mass media company said in a statement to Us Weekly on July 15. “We have spoken with Nick Cannon about an episode of his podcast ‘Cannon’s Class’ on YouTube, which promoted hateful speech and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.”
They continued, “While we support ongoing education and dialogue in the fight against bigotry, we are deeply troubled that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism, and we are terminating our relationship with him. We are committed to doing better in our response to incidents of anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry. ViacomCBS will have further announcements on our efforts to combat hate of all kinds.”
Cannon, 39, responded to his firing in a lengthy Facebook post, writing, “I am disappointed that Viacom does not understand or respect the power of the Black community.”
Scroll below for more details on his anti-Semitic remarks and the aftermath of his firing.
What Did Nick Cannon Say?
During the June 30 episode of Cannon’s podcast, “Cannon’s Class,” he spoke with Richard “Professor Griff” Griffin who was fired from rap group Public Enemy after making several anti-Semitic remarks in 1989. He alleged Jews “are responsible for the majority of the wickedness in the world” in an interview with The Washington Times among other problematic statements.
Aside from interviewing the controversial figure, Cannon himself said that Black people are the “true Hebrews,” in addition to discussing several anti-Semitic conspiracy theories involving Jewish people of power.
“It’s never hate speech, you can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people,” Cannon said. “When we are the same people who they want to be. That’s our birthright.”
Cannon tried to make the argument that white and Jewish people have a “lack of compassion” due to “low self-esteem.” He stated, “So, therefore, the only way that they can act is evil. They have to rob, steal, rape, kill in order to survive. So then, these people that didn’t have what we have – and when I say we, I speak of the melanated people – they had to be savages.”
Did Nick Cannon Apologize?
Cannon faced major backlash following his controversial comments and addressed his words in a lengthy Facebook post on Monday, July 13. “The Black and Jewish communities have both faced enormous hatred, oppression persecution and prejudice for thousands of years and in many ways have and will continue to work together to overcome these obstacles.”
He continued, “I hold myself accountable for this moment and take full responsibility because my intentions are only to show that as a beautiful human species we have way more commonalities than differences, So let’s embrace those as well as each other.”
Is Wild n Out Canceled?
While Cannon will no longer be the host of the show, there is no official word whether or not the program will be canceled.
In a Facebook statement following his firing, it doesn’t sound like Cannon will be happy if the show, which he’s hosted since 2005, goes on without him. “I created a billion-dollar brand that expanded across a multitiered empire that is still Viacom’s biggest digital brand, touring business, talent discovery and incubation system and successful restaurant franchise,” he wrote in the post. “Based on trust and empty promises, my ownership was swindled away from me.”
