Actor and host Nick Cannon, a 1998 graduate of Spring Valley’s Monte Vista High School, is paying the price for remarks widely seen as anti-Semitic.
He was fired Tuesday by ViacomCBS, which said he “promoted hateful speech and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories” in a recent podcast and YouTube video.
“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,” the company said in a statement late Tuesday.
INBOX: ViacomCBS terminates relationship with Nick Cannon after he refuses to apologize or acknowledge wrongdoing by spreading blatantly anti-Semitic conspiracy theories pic.twitter.com/BD94qu5jws
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) July 15, 2020
In the June 30 episode of the “Cannon’s Class” podcast (which Vulture.com said was taped last year), the San Diego native interviewed former Public Enemy member Richard “Professor Griff” Griffin.
Cannon, 39, said Black people are the “true Hebrews” and praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, himself a frequent target of Jewish and anti-hate groups. Cannon also cited “the Rothschilds, centralized banking, the 13 families, the bloodlines that control everything even outside of America.”
Griffin in 1989 lost his job with the rap group after a Washington Post interview where he was quoted as saying Jews were responsible “for the majority of wickedness that goes on across the globe.”
Referring to his late father, James, a televangelist, Cannon told Fast Company: “I love my father unconditionally. There are some things that he raised me with that are powerful and that I hold to. And there are some things where I’m like, I don’t agree with none of that.”
In the same way, he said: “I can’t be responsible for however long Minister Farrakhan has been ministering and things that he said. That is his voice and his fight. I can only be held accountable for what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard.”
“I just want to focus on the positive aspects,” Cannon added. “But I condemn any hate speech. I don’t care who said it. I don’t care if my dad said it. I don’t care if Farrakhan said it. If anyone is saying something hateful or demonic, I don’t support that at all.”
But in the Fast Company interview, he declined to apologize.
“To me, apologies are empty. … What we need is healing. What we need is discussion. Correct me,” he said. “I don’t tell my children to say, ‘I’m sorry.’ I want them to understand where they need to be corrected. And then that’s how we grow.”
Variety noted that Cannon has worked with Viacom since his Nickelodeon actor days in the 1990s. He’s also hosted the sketch comedy show ‘Wild ‘n Out,’ which aired on MTV and VH1 since 2005.
“More recently, he’s been known as the host of ‘The Masked Singer’ on Fox and hosted ‘America’s Got Talent’ on NBC from 2009-2016,” Variety said. “He’s also launching a syndicated daytime talk show in September with Debmar-Mercury.”
Cannon took to Twitter as well, starting a series of tweets Monday by saying: “Anyone who knows me knows that I have no hate in my heart nor malice intentions. 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.”
Anyone who knows me knows that I have no hate in my heart nor malice intentions. 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.
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) July 13, 2020
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.
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) July 13, 2020
When you look at The Media, and other sectors in our nation’s history, African Americans and The people of the Jewish community have partnered to create some of the best, most revolutionary work we know today. (Cont.)
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) July 13, 2020
I am an advocate for people’s voices to be heard openly, fairly and candidly. In today’s conversation about anti-racism and social justice, I think we all including myself must continue educating one another &embrace uncomfortable conversations it’s the only way we ALL get better
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) July 13, 2020
I encourage more healthy dialogue and welcome any experts, clergy, or spokespersons to any of my platforms to hold me accountable and correct me in any statement that I’ve made that has been projected as negative. (Cont.)
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) July 13, 2020
Until then, 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. We All Family!????????
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) July 13, 2020
He also posted a long note on Facebook, opening with: “Anyone who knows me knows that I have no hate in my heart nor malice intentions. 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.”
In May 2017 Cannon appeared at the San Diego Unified School District’s College, Career and Technical Education Showcase, which partnered with the Nick Cannon Foundation’s teen technology competition “America’s Teen Mogul.”
“Students from the district’s School of Creative & Performing Arts showed Cannon their business plans and prototypes of inventions,” NBC San Diego reported.
He was quoted as saying: “I’m a product of this community; I was born and raised in San Diego. To be able to come back home and see young faces and young people here today, knowing that we’re helping to inspire and to empower you guys in a way to help you understand that your future is ahead of you [is a great feeling].”
