Nick Cannon has accused ViacomCBS of being on the ‘wrong side of history’ and is demanding full ownership of his Wild ‘N Out brand after he was fired for spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories on his podcast and accusing white people of being ‘evil’, ‘rapists’ and ‘true savages’.
The 39-year-old made the remarks during a June 30 episode of his talk show ‘Cannon’s Class’ in which he interviewed former Public Enemy member Professor Griff, real name Richard Griffin, who was kicked out of the rap group in 1989 for saying Jewish people ‘were responsible for the majority of the wickedness in the world’.
During a discussion on racial bias, Cannon – who hosts the MTV series ‘Wild N’ Out’ and ‘The Masked Singer’ on Fox- said black people are the true Hebrews and that Jews have usurped their identity.
He also delved deep into anti-Semitic tropes – ranting about history ‘going as deep as the Rothschilds, centralized banking, the 13 families, the bloodlines that control everything even outside of America.’
The two discussed the controversial racial ideology of the Black Hebrew Israelites – claiming that ‘Semitic’ people had nothing to do with being white and that the term ‘antisemitic’ is only used to ‘divide’ people.
‘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. We are the true Hebrews,’ Cannon said.
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ViacomCBS cut ties with Nick Cannon after the actor was accused of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories
Hate speech: In the June 30 episode, Cannon said Black people are the ‘true Hebrews’ and spoke about the Rothschild family
Former Public Enemy member Richard ‘Professor Griff’ Griffin was kicked out of the rap group after saying Jews were ‘wicked’ in an interview in 1989
During the hour-plus podcast, Cannon then moved onto a wider discussion on race saying white people of the past were ‘savages’ and ‘barbaric’ because they lacked the ‘compassion’ that comes with melanin or skin pigmentation.
‘And I’m going to say this carefully……’ – he said before claiming that people who do not have melanin are a ‘little less’.
‘They’re the ones that are actually closer to animals, they’re the ones that are actually the true savages,’ he said.
He said that those without dark skin possess a ‘deficiency’ that has caused them to become fearful and become violent to survive. ‘They had to be savages’, said Cannon. Making sure that Griff knew he was referring to Jewish people, white people and Europeans.
In the wake of the backlash over the podcast, the media giant announced on Tuesday it was dropping Cannon for ‘promoting hateful speech.’
‘ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind and we categorically denounce all forms of anti-Semitism,’ the company said in a statement.
‘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.’
Cannon responded to his firing in a lengthy statement on Facebook in which he said he did not condone hate speech, but refused to say he was sorry.
NICK CANNON CLAIMS BLACK PEOPLE ARE THE ‘TRUE HEBREWS’ IN ANTI-WHITE AND ANTISEMITIC RANT ON YOUTUBE TALK SHOW
Nick Cannon went on an anti-white rant and delved deep into anti-Semitic tropes during a discussion with former Public Enemy member Richard ‘Professor Griff’ Griffin on his YouTube talkshow.
Cannon esponded to his firing in a lengthy statement on Facebook in which he said he did not condone hate speech, but refused to say he was sorry
Cannon claimed white people of the past feared blacks due to their lack of skin pigmentation or melanin, which he said comes with ‘compassion.’
‘The people that don’t have [melanin] – I’m going to say this carefully – are a little less..and where the term actually comes from…they may not have the compassion when they were sent to the mountains of Caucasus… the sun then started to deteriorate them so then, they’re acting out of fear, they’re acting out of low self-esteem, they’re acting out of a deficiency,’ he said.
‘So, therefore, the only way that they can act is evil. They have to rob, steal, rape, kill in order to survive.
‘So then, these people that didn’t have what we have — and when I say we, I speak of the melanated people — they had to be savages. They had to be barbaric because they’re in these Nordic environments…
‘They’re acting as animals so they’re the ones that are actually closer to animals. They’re the ones that are actually the true savages.
The episode also discussed Griffin’s departure from Public Enemy in 1989 after the rapper himself was accused of antisemitism after saying Jews were ‘wicked’ and responsible for ‘the the majority of wickedness that goes on across the globe.’
Griffin argued that being ‘Semitic’ had nothing to do with being white and that Jewish people had stolen black people’s ‘birthright.’
The pair contended that black people are the true Hebrews and that Jews have usurped their identity.
Cannon then segued into antisemitic conspiracies talking about ‘going as deep as the Rothschilds, centralized banking, the 13 families, the bloodlines that control everything even outside of America.’
‘It’s never hate speech, you can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people,’ Cannon said.
‘When we are the same people who they want to be. That’s our birthright. We are the true Hebrews.’
Cannon doubled down in a follow up statement on Wednesday titled ‘Truth and Reconciliation’ in which he accused ViacomCBS of trying to ‘make an example of an outspoken black man’. The actor detailed his success at the network through the years including the development of his ‘billion-dollar brand’ that was later ‘swindled away’ from him
Cannon revealed he contacted Viacom boss Shari Redstone, who is Jewish, amid the backlash to have a conversation and offer an apology, but claims his efforts went ignored. He also claimed the company had banned advertising supporting George Floyd and Breonna Taylor
He claimed Viacom was on the ‘wrong side of history’ before demanding full ownership of ‘Wild ‘N Out’ as well as an apology
On Wednesday, he doubled down on his stance in a follow-up statement titled ‘Truth and Reconciliation’, in which he accused ViacomCBS of trying to put a ‘young negro in his place’ and demanded ownership of his ‘billion-dollar Wild ‘N Out brand’ that he said was ‘swindled away’ from him.
‘If I have furthered the hate speech, I wholeheartedly apologize, Cannon said. ‘But now I am the one making demands. I demand full ownership of my billion dollar ‘Wild ‘N Out’ brand that I created, and they will continue to misuse and destroy without my leadership! I demand that the hate and back door bullying cease and while we are at it, now that the truth is out, I demand the Apology!’
Cannon, who had been with the network for over two decades, said he was ‘deeply saddened’ that the company ‘misused’ an important, teachable moment to instead ‘make an example of an outspoken black man.’
‘I will not be bullied, silenced, or continuously oppressed by any organization, group, or corporation. I am disappointed that Viacom does not understand or respect the power of the black community,’ he said.
Cannon claimed ViacomCBS had banned advertisements that supported George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in he wake of nationwide protests against racial injustice and accused them of being on ‘the wrong side of history.’
Amid the fallout, he said he contacted Viacom boss Shari Redstone, who is Jewish, to ‘ have a conversation of reconciliation and actually apologize if I said anything that pained or hurt her or her community.’
Cannon has been part of the ViacomCBS network for over two decades, hosting The Masked Singer and Wild ‘N Out on Fox
In a follow up statement on Wednesday, Cannon demanded full ownership of his ‘Wild ‘N Out’ brand that he claimed was ‘swindled away’ from him by the company
Explanation: As he encouraged more ‘healthy dialogue’ from experts, clergy, or spokespersons, he reiterated his intentions are to show ‘that as a beautiful human species we have way more commonalities than differences’
‘Dead Silence! So that’s when I realized they don’t want a conversation or growth, they wanted to put the young negro in his place. They wanted to show me who is boss, hang me out to dry and make an example of anyone who says something they don’t agree with,’ he added.
The former America’s Got Talent host has had a relationship with Viacom since his Nickelodeon days in the 90s.
Cannon had addressed his firing in an initial statement on Facebook saying: ‘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.’
He added: ‘The Black and Jewish communities have both faced enormous hatred, oppression persecution and prejudice for thousands of years and in many ways have and will continue to work together to overcome these obstacles.’
Additionally, Cannon called himself an ‘advocate for people’s voices to be heard openly, fairly and candidly.’
‘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,’ the father-of-three continued.
Cannon was photographed holding up a fist along with Black Lives Matter protesters in Times Square last month
As he encouraged more ‘healthy dialogue’ from experts, clergy, or spokespersons, he reiterated his intentions are to show ‘that as a beautiful human species we have way more commonalities than differences.’
Cannon also clarified why his remarks and statement don’t contain the words ‘sorry’ and ‘apologize’ to Fast Company.
‘To me apologies are empty. Are you forcing me to say the words ‘I’m sorry’? Are you making me bow down, ’cause then again, that would be perpetuating that same rhetoric that we’re trying to get away from,’ Cannon said.
He furthered: ‘What we need is healing. What we need is discussion. Correct me. I don’t tell my children to say, ‘I’m sorry.’ I want them to understand where they need to be corrected. And then that’s how we grow.’
