Nick Cannon's Daytime Talk Show Put on Hold Amid Anti-Semitism Controversy

A syndicated talk show starring Nick Cannon has been put on hold following some recent anti-Semitic remarks made on his YouTube show, Cannon's Class. Cannon was fired from ViacomCBS on Monday as a result.

The talk show, titled simply Nick Cannon, was ordered in the fall of 2019 and was set to launch on Sept. 21, though that's no longer the case. "The Nick Cannon talk show will not debut this year," Lionsgate and Debmar-Mercury said in a statement Friday, via The Wrap. "After conversations with Nick, we do believe that his public comments don't reflect his true feelings and his apology is heartfelt and sincere. We want to continue the healing process as he meets with leaders of the Jewish community and engages in a dialogue with our distribution partners to hear their views."

"We are standing by Nick in our hope that by fall 2021 he will be able to use his extraordinary talent and platform to entertain, enlighten and unite his audience on the Nick Cannon talk show," the statement continued. "Lionsgate and Debmar-Mercury condemn anti-Semitism, racism and hate speech. It runs counter to everything we stand for."

Following the firing, Cannon released an initial apology on Facebook, which was not particularly well-received. On Wednesday, he posted a follow-up apology in a lengthy Twitter thread, where he called the remarks "the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people." He went on to say that he felt "ashamed of the uninformed and naïve place that these words came from," and indicating that the episode in question had been pulled from YouTube.

"I want to express my gratitude to the Rabbis, community leaders and institutions who reached out to me to help enlighten me, instead of chastising me," Cannon went on. "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."

The Cannon's Class episode in question featured Richard Griffin, also known as former Public Enemy member Professor Griff, who has a history of anti-Semitic remarks. At one point, Cannon said that Black people are the "true Hebrews" and compared white people to "savages." Cannon has also pressed pause on his radio show, though The Masked Singer has since announced that Cannon will stay on as host.

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