ViacomCBS severed their ties with television personality Nick Cannon after he made a slew of anti-Semitic remarks and refused to apologize for them.
The media conglomerate said in a statement to the Washington Examiner on Tuesday evening that they ended working relations with Cannon, 39, after he and Richard Griffin, also known as Professor Griff from the Public Enemy rap group, both promoted anti-Semitic stereotypes on an episode of Cannon’s Class, the host’s YouTube talk show.
“ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind and we categorically denounce all forms of anti-Semitism,” a ViacomCBS spokesperson said, noting that they discussed the controversial episode, “which promoted hateful speech and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories,” with him.
“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 representative continued. “We are committed to doing better in our response to incidents of anti-Semitism, racism, and bigotry. ViacomCBS will have further announcements on our efforts to combat hate of all kinds.”
The interview with Professor Griff appears to have taken place last year, but it gained attention in recent days, shortly after Cannon re-posted it to his page.
Early on in the 90-minute interview, the two agreed that they could not be anti-Semitic because Jewish people are not the real Semites and that black people are the real Semites.
The conversation later turned to conspiracy theories about Jewish people controlling money and the banking system globally, a theory which the Anti-Defamation League says, “Has surfaced across the extremist spectrum.”
Cannon referenced “going as deep as the Rothschilds, centralized banking, the 13 families, the bloodlines that control everything — even outside of America.” He also argued that once people understand who the real Jewish people are, It’s never hate speech. You can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people. When we are the same people who they want to be. That’s our birthright.”
The two also brought up and defended Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has a history of anti-Semitic and homophobic comments.
Cannon posted a statement on Facebook on Monday following the backlash:
“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,” Cannon wrote before acknowledging that, “Black and Jewish communities have both faced enormous hatred, oppression persecution and prejudice for thousands of years.”
“I am an advocate for people’s voices to be heard openly, fairly and candidly,” he added. “In today’s conversation about anti-racism and social justice, I think we all — including myself — must continue educating one another and embrace uncomfortable conversations — it’s the only way we ALL get better. 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.”
Cannon, who has spent more than two decades with Viacom dating back to the 1990s when he was on Nickelodeon, is the host of the Fox show The Masked Singer, but it remains unclear if Cannon’s relationship with that network is being reconsidered.
