ViacomCBS restored its working relationship with Nick Cannon less than a year after the media conglomerate closed Cannon after a controversy over anti-Semitic comments Cannon made on his podcast.
What is the background?
As TheBlaze reported, Cannon was fired from ViacomCBS last July after comments he made in 2019 resurfaced in which Cannon spoke about anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and even defended the leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan.
“ViacomCBS condemns intolerance of any kind and we categorically denounce all forms of anti-Semitism,” said ViacomCBS in a statement last summer.
“We talked to Nick Cannon about an episode of his podcast ‘Cannon’s Class’ on YouTube, which promoted hate speech and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories,” added the company. “While we support continuing education and dialogue in the fight against intolerance, we are deeply concerned that Nick does not recognize or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism and we are ending our relationship with him.”
In response, Cannon criticized Viacom and blamed “systemic racism” for its expulsion.
“[ViacomCBS] he wanted to put the young black man in his place. They wanted to show me who the boss is, hang me up to dry and make an example of anyone who says something they don’t agree with, “said Cannon.
Cannon, however, extended his “deepest and most sincere apologies to my Jewish sisters and brothers” for their “painful and divisive words.”
What is happening now?
According to the Hollywood Reporter, ViacomCBS and Cannon are working together again, and production on the popular Cannon show “Wild ‘N Out” will resume. The program will air on VC1 owned by ViacomCBS.
In a statement, ViacomCBS said it wanted to work with Cannon again because he made efforts to educate himself after the anti-Semitic controversy.
A spokesman for ViacomCBS ‘MTV Entertainment Group said:
Nick not only apologized and took responsibility for his comments, but he also worked to educate himself and others through involvement with Jewish leaders and on their platforms.
These efforts are of the utmost importance and that is why we invite you to return to our team. On the other hand, we just learned that his test was positive for COVID and we contacted him to wish him a speedy recovery.
As USA Today reported, “Cannon met Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, among others, to understand the pain he caused in making anti-Semitic comments. “
Cannon has been working with ViacomCBS and its subsidiary networks in some way since 1998, USA Today noted.