ViacomCBS has terminated its relationship with Nick Cannon following an episode of “Cannon’s Class” in which he made anti-Semitic remarks.
“ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind and we categorically denounce all forms of anti-Semitism. 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,” said a spokeswoman for the company.
“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.”
ViacomCBS is the parent company of MTV and TeenNick. Cannon, 39, served as chairman of the latter network and hosted MTV’s “Wild ‘N Out.”
During the June 30 episode of his YouTube series, Cannon interviewed rapper Richard Griffin, known as Professor Griff, about his dismissal from hip-hop group Public Enemy in 1989 for saying “the Jews are wicked” and are responsible for “the majority of wickedness that goes on across the globe.”
Griffin doubled down on his comments in his interview with “The Masked Singer” host.
“You’re speaking facts,” Cannon agreed. “There’s no reason to be scared of anything when you’re speaking the truth.”
Cannon later added that black people are “true Hebrews.”
“You can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people,” Cannon said. “That’s our birthright. So if that’s truly our birthright, there’s no hate involved.”
When reached for comment, Cannon’s reps referred us to his social media statements.
“Anyone who knows me knows that I have no hate in my heart nor malice intentions,” Cannon tweeted. “I do not condone hate speech nor the spread of hateful rhetoric. We are living in a time when it is more important than ever to promote unity and understanding.”