Nick Cannon Dropped by ViacomCBS Over "Hateful Speech" Used in Podcast

In a June 30 episode of 'Cannon's Class,' the comedian made comments that have been widely condemned as anti-semitic.

Nick Cannon has come under fire after a conversation on his podcast, Cannon's Class, was deemed to contain racist and anti-Semitic language. On Tuesday, media giant ViacomCBS responded to the incident by terminating their longrunning relationship with the artist.

The June 30 episode, which was flagged by a Jewish blogger on Sunday, contained a 90-minute interview between Cannon and former Public Enemy member Richard Griffin, best known by his stage name Professor Griff. In the interview, Cannon made comments that were said to spread views of anti-Semitism.

ViacomCBS said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter:

ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind and we categorically denounce all forms 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-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.

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.

Cannon took to Twitter on Monday to respond to negative criticism he was receiving online. "Anyone who knows me knows that I have no hate in my heart nor malice intentions," he wrote. "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."

In a later tweet he called himself an "advocate for people's voices to be heard openly, fairly and candidly." He continued, "In today’s conversation about anti-racism and social justice, I think we all including myself must continue educating one another & embrace uncomfortable conversations it’s the only way we ALL get better."

Cannon is the host of improv competition series Wild 'n' Out on VH1, which got renewed in 2019 for three more seasons. Elsewhere, Cannon is the host of the Fox variety musical series The Masked Singer.

In June, it was announced that he would be producing and starring in unscripted series Celebrity Call Center for the E! network. This fall, he is scheduled to begin his own syndicated daytime talk show with Lionsgate titled Nick Cannon, premiering on Fox stations Sept. 21.

THR has reached out to Fox, Lionsgate, E! and Cannon's representative for comment.