LOOSE CANNON
What were Nick Cannon’s ‘racist’ and ‘anti-Semitic’ comments?
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What did Nick Cannon say?
In his podcast, Nick and Richard “Professor Griff” Griffith, the former member of hip-hop group Public Enemy, discussed racial bias.
He and Professor Griff said that Black people are the true Hebrews and that Jews have usurped their identity.
Cannon said: “When we are the same people who they want to be. That’s our birthright. We are the true Hebrews.”
The rapper then discussed skin color and claimed that people without dark skin live in fear.
“And I’m going to say this carefully,” he begins - to allege that people who lack sufficient melanin are “a little less.”
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Those without dark skin have a “deficiency” that historically forced them to act out of fear and commit acts of violence to survive, he said.
“They had to be savages,” Nick said, adding that he was referring to “Jewish people, white people, Europeans,” among others.
Professor Griff is also known for making anti-Semitic comments in the 1980's, which triggered the split of the hip hop group.
At the time, : “The Jews are wicked. And we can prove this.”
In his interview with Nick, Griff appeared to stand by his past remarks, telling the podcast: “I’m hated now because I told the truth.”
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Cannon, who called Griffin a “legend," said: “You’re speaking facts. There’s no reason to be scared of anything when you’re speaking the truth.”
Who fired him?
ViacomCBS fired Cannon in July 2020 after hearing the podcast and the remarks he made towards Jews.
Their statement said: “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.”
It added: “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.”
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Nick’s television career has spanned more than 25 years with MTV and Nickelodeon, also ViacomCBS-owned, starting with his sketch comedy show Wild ‘n Out which aired from 2005.
He was also a chairman for Teen-Nick, which was a spin-off of the Nickelodeon channel for young kids and teenagers.
As controversy over his remarks began to swirl up, Nick replied in a Facebook post.
“I do not condone hate speech nor the spread of hateful rhetoric ... 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 wrote.
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In the lengthy post, he also said he welcomed being held accountable for his statement and that held himself accountable “for this moment and take full responsibility."
Is Nick Cannon suing Viacom?
Cannon was reportedly going to sue Viacom for $1.5 billion over the rights to the popular improv comedy series Wild ‘n Out.
“It is just that simple, ‘Wild’N Out belongs to Nick!” the TV host told
“The show was created by Nick Cannon with his idea and original thought,” a statement attributed to Cannon read to the celebrity gossip website.
“Wild’N Out has brought billions of dollars in revenue to Viacom since 2015. And Nick deserves and has earned everything it is worth.”
However, reported the rumors that Nick was planning on suing were false. His representatives told the outlet the reports of the lawsuit were inaccurate and instead Nick was focused on "bringing people together and fighting bigotry, racism and hate."
Who owns ViacomCBS?
ViacomCBS is owned by a media conglomerate and is merged by National Amusements, a privately owned theater company.
The chairman of ViacomCBS is Shari Redstone, a member of the board of directors at Combined Jewish Philanthropies and president of National Amusements.
Her father was once CBS’ executive chairman who made her the designated Trustee after his death.
Shari was also in charge of gathering names for the new CBS board members, pushing for CBS Corp to merge with Viacom.
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In 2019, she became the chair of the board for the reuniting of CBS and Viacom as ViacomCBS.
What shows are Nick Cannon currently presenting?
Nick is currently the host of The Masked Singer season 5, a reality singing competition series on Fox.
He was also a part of ViacomCBS’ Wild ‘n Out comedy and improv show, which he created and starred in. He was a presenter on
What did Nick Cannon say about his comments?
In an interview with that aired in March 2021, Cannon said he has been on a "journey of atonement" and he is taking action for his words.
In May 2020, he graduated from Howard University and is now on his way to pursuing a master's degree in divinity.
"My journey's not gonna stop, whether the person watching this forgives me or not," Cannon said in an interview. "I'm still gonna hopefully through this process, be on the right side of history and bring people closer together."
He told ABC anchor Linsey Davis that he was "not seeking forgiveness" but he was "seeking for growth."
In February 2021, ViacomCBS and Cannon have resumed their working relationship. Nick will resume production of the series Wild 'N Out.
He also helped kick off the Black Jewish Entertainment Alliance.
Nick Cannon raises funds for charity Harlem Serves Up! focused on minority owned businesses and restaurants
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