On Wednesday, July 15, Nick Cannon took to Twitter to issue an apology for anti-Semitic comments and conspiracy theories he shared on his podcast, Cannon’s Class, which resulted in his firing from ViacomCBS. “First and foremost,†Cannon said in a statement released on Twitter, “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.†In the thread, Cannon says that he has removed the episode featuring the interview Griffin and that his comments “reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people†and that he feels “ashamed of the uninformed and naïve place that these words came from.â€
Cannon initially criticized ViacomCBS for firing him, demanding complete ownership of his long-running hip-hop improv show, Wild ’N Out, on social media. “I demand full ownership of my billion-dollar ‘Wild ’N Out’ brand that I created,†Cannon wrote in a Facebook post, “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!†However, he made made no mention of ViacomCBS or Wild N’ Out in his most recent apology. “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.â€
Update Friday, July 17 at 9:00 a.m.: In the aftermath of his apology, Cannon tweeted his frustrations with the backlash. “I hurt an entire community and it pained me to my core, I thought it couldn’t get any worse,†he tweeted at around two in the morning on the east coast. “Then I watched my own community turn on me and call me a sell-out for apologizing. Goodnight. Enjoy Earth.†He followed up in a second tweet: “Y’all can have this planet. I’m out!†The cryptic messages concerned fans and friends who replied with words of comfort. “I don’t know what is going on, brother,†actress Yvette Nicole Brown tweeted. “But you are needed here. You are loved & supported. We ALL make mistakes. Those with character, apologize when they do harm. You did that. It is not a sign of weakness. It is what we are called to do.â€