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Nick Cannon was Fired for Anti-Semitic Comments

Diandra Ross

Photo via FOX

Actor Nick Cannon was fired by ViacomCBS on Tuesday after he made comments that many considered to be anti-Semitic. Cannon is best known for hosting multiple TV series including the long-running improv show “Wild ‘N Out.”

ViacomCBS owns MTV, Nickelodeon and TeenNick, three channels that heavily showcased Cannon’s work over the past two decades. The company released a statement saying that Cannon’s longtime partnership with the company has been terminated, condemning any form 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-Semetic conspiracy theories,” said Viacom in their statement. “…we are deeply troubled that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism, and we are terminating our relationship with him.”

On an episode of his podcast “Cannon’s Class,” the actor interviewed rapper Professor Griff, who left the rap group Public Enemy after he made anti-Semetic comments in a past interview. He commented on Jewish people’s influence of music and the media during the podcast, doubling down on his past comments.

Cannon agreed with him, saying “There’s no reason to be scared of anything when you’re speaking the truth.”

They proceeded to discuss conspiracy theories and Cannon claimed that Black people were the true Semitic people.

“You can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people. That’s our birthright. So if that’s truly our birthright, there’s no hate involved.”

Cannon also said that white people are “a little less,” and inherently acted violently towards Black people and each other out of fear and low-self esteem. He claims that historically white people “had to be savages” in order to survive.

Nick Cannon apologized on Twitter, saying that he did not condone hate speech or anti-Semitism and didn’t have any “malice intentions.” He went on to say that he would continue to battle anti-racism and fight for social justice, but was holding himself accountable for the comments he made and takes “full responsibility.

Social media users were quick to slam the celebrity online, criticizing him for spreading anti-Semitic rhetoric. They also labeled him a “Black supremacist” and a racist.

Others were skeptical and disappointed that Cannon was immediately fired for his comments, noting that other celebrities have had long and lucrative careers even after they were caught saying something problematic. They pointed out that Cannon was fired almost immediately after the interview surfaced, and that the officers who’ve killed unarmed black people haven’t been fired. Some even thought that Cannon had a point when discussing the history of fear that white people have for the Black community.

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