Nick Cannon, an American actor and TV host has demanded an apology from ViacomCBS, as well as full ownership of the Wild ‘N Out brand, after being fired by the conglomerate for, promoting “hateful speech” and “anti-Semitic conspiracy theories” on his podcast.
In a lengthy post, on Facebook, Cannon demanded “full ownership of my billion dollar Wild ‘N Out brand that I created” and asked for an end to “the hate and back door bullying”.
In the post, titled ‘Truth and Reconciliation,’ Cannon details his 20-year history as part of the Viacom family and says he’s upset that a moment that could lead to “reconciliation” and understanding was used to “make an example of an outspoken black man.”
“I am deeply saddened in a moment so close to reconciliation that the powers that be, misused an important moment for us to all grow closer together and learn more about one another,” Cannon wrote. “Instead the moment was stolen and highjacked to make an example of an outspoken black man,” he said.
He also said that ViacomCBS “chose to recently ban all advertisement that supported George Floyd and Breonna Taylor who we are all still seeking justice for,” and says he even reached out to ViacomCBS chair Shari Redstone “to have a conversation of reconciliation and actually apologize if he said anything that pained or hurt her or her community. But he claims his request to speak with Redstone was met with silence.
ViacomCBS on Tuesday terminated its long-running relationship with Cannon after a conversation between Cannon and former Public Enemy member Richard Griffin (aka Professor Griff) in the July 30 episode of his podcast, Cannon’s Class, was deemed to contain racist and anti-Semitic language.
In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, ViacomCBS said in part, “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. 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.”
In addition to his role as host of VH1’s improv competition series Wild ‘n Out, which was renewed in 2019 for three more seasons, Cannon hosts the Fox variety musical series The Masked Singer.
He is also set to produce and star in an unscripted series, Celebrity Call Center, for the E! network, and launch his own, eponymous syndicated daytime show with Lionsgate, which is set to premiere on Fox stations.