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Nick Cannon is to keep his job hosting The Masked Singer after apologising for a second time for anti-Semitic comments made on a podcast released last month.
Following an initial statement, ViacomCBS serving ties with the presenter/actor and Diddy offering him a job at Revolt, Cannon gave a more comprehensive apology on Wednesday night (July 15).
“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,” he wrote on Twitter in a lengthy series of tweets.
“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.”
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
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
Cannon also currently hosts The Masked Singer on Fox. In a statement, Fox confirmed that Cannon would remain as the host and executive producer of The Masked Singer following his apology.
“When we were made aware of Nick Cannon’s interview with Richard Griffin on YouTube, we immediately began a dialogue with Nick,” the network said.
“He is clear and remorseful that his words were wrong and lacked both understanding and context, and inadvertently promoted hate. This was important for us to observe.
“Nick has sincerely apologised, and quickly taken steps to educate himself and make amends. On that basis and given a belief that this moment calls for dialogue, we will move forward with Nick and help him advance this important conversation, broadly.
It added: “Fox condemns all forms of hate directed toward any community and we will combat bigotry of any kind.”
On the June 30 episode of his podcast Cannon’s Class, Cannon made remarks which many criticised as anti-Semitic during his interview with former Public Enemy member Professor Griff. Griff was fired from Public Enemy in the late 1980s following an interview in which he claimed that “the Jews are wicked”.
“The Semitic people are Black people,” Cannon said on the podcast. “You can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people…when we are the same people they want to be. That’s our birthright.”
Cannon went on to refer to African-Americans as “the true Hebrews” and praised Professor Griff for “speaking unapologetically”. “You stuck to your guns,” Cannon said.
On Tuesday (July 14), Cannon issued a statement on Facebook responding to outcry over his comments.
Yesterday (July 15), ViacomCBS announced that it would no longer work with the actor. Cannon has hosted several shows on ViacomCBS’ MTV and Nickelodeon networks throughout his career, including The Nick Cannon Show and TeenNick Top 10.
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