Nick Cannon has issued an apology following criticism over anti-Semitic comments he made during a recent episode of his podcast.
“First and foremost I extend my deepest and most sincere apologies to my Jewish sisters and brothers for the hurtful and divisive words that came out of my mouth during my interview with Richard Griffin,” Cannon began a Twitter thread Wednesday night.
He continued: “They reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I feel ashamed of the uninformed and naïve place that these words came from. The video of this interview has since been removed.”
“While the Jewish experience encompasses more than 5,000 years and there is so much I have yet to learn, I have had at least a minor history lesson over the past few days and to say that it is eye-opening would be a vast understatement.”
“I want to express my gratitude to the Rabbis, community leaders and institutions who reached out to me to help enlighten me, instead of chastising me.”
He concluded: “I want to assure my Jewish friends, new and old, that this is only the beginning of my education–I am committed to deeper connections, more profound learning and strengthening the bond between our two cultures today and every day going forward.”
Soon after Cannon tweeted his apology, Fox broadcast network stood by his statement and issued its own saying that Cannon would remain the host of “The Masked Singer.” Read more about that here.
The podcast episode in question featured an interview with former Public Enemy member Richard “Professor Griff” Griffin — who himself was fired from the hip-hop group for making anti-Semitic comments in a 1989 interview — and saw the pair repeatedly reference fringe conspiracy theories about Jewish people.
Griffin also defended his past remarks that Jews were responsible for “the majority of wickedness that goes on across the globe,” saying, “I’m hated now because I told the truth.”‘
Cannon replied, “You’re speaking facts. There’s no reason to be scared of anything when you’re speaking the truth.” Cannon also said Black people are the “true Hebrews” and praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has a long history of making anti-Semitic remarks.
ViacomCBS cut ties with Cannon — the creator and host of “Wild ‘N Out” — on Tuesday over the comments he made on “Cannon’s Class,” which the media giant said “promoted hateful speech and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.” In a statement, a spokesperson for the company also said they were “deeply troubled” by Cannon’s failure to “acknowledge or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism.”
Cannon pushed back against ViacomCBS in a lengthy Facebook post on Wednesday, demanding “full ownership” of “Wild ‘N Out,” which he referred to as a “billion dollar” brand,” and an apology from the company.
He said he received “dead silence” in return. “That’s when I realized they don’t want a conversation or growth, they wanted to put the young negro in his place,” Cannon wrote.
“It is absolutely untrue that Nick Cannon reached out to the Chair of ViacomCBS,” a representative for ViacomCBS and a spokesperson for Redstone both said in statements on Wednesday. When asked if Cannon had attempted to reach Redstone through intermediaries, both the ViacomCBS rep and Redstone’s rep said, “Not to my knowledge.”
See Cannon’s full apology via the thread below.
First and foremost I extend my deepest and most sincere apologies to my Jewish sisters and brothers for the hurtful and divisive words that came out of my mouth during my interview with Richard Griffin.
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) July 16, 2020
They reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I feel ashamed of the uninformed and naïve place that these words came from. The video of this interview has since been removed.
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) July 16, 2020
While the Jewish experience encompasses more than 5,000 years and there is so much I have yet to learn, I have had at least a minor history lesson over the past few days and to say that it is eye-opening would be a vast understatement.
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) July 16, 2020
I want to express my gratitude to the Rabbis, community leaders and institutions who reached out to me to help enlighten me, instead of chastising me.
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) July 16, 2020
I want to assure my Jewish friends, new and old, that this is only the beginning of my education—I am committed to deeper connections, more profound learning and strengthening the bond between our two cultures today and every day going forward.
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) July 16, 2020