ViacomCBS has called Nick Cannon's recent remarks on his podcast "anti-Semitic" and terminated its two-decade relationship with the host, but Cannon is now demanding an apology. Cannon is also fighting for full ownership of the Wild 'N Out series that he created and hosted for fifteen years.
Nick Cannon's TV career started in 1998 when he was a featured comedian on All That, which aired on the ViacomCBS-owned Nickelodeon network. Over the years, Cannon extended his relationship with Nickelodeon several times. He appeared on Kennan & Kel, The Nick Cannon Show, and Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out, which has run for 15 seasons. More recently, Nick Cannon has been best known for the parody series Real Husbands of Hollywood, hosting 8 seasons of NBC's America's Got Talent, and hosting Fox's The Masked Singer. Cannon also has his own YouTube channel and podcast, where he interviews celebrities and/or experts from different fields... he covers a wide range of topics. Over the weekend, however, one of Nick Cannon's statements on his podcast caught the attention of the media. Many people classified his comments as "hate speech."
On Tuesday, July 14, as reported by Variety, the ViacomCBS conglomerate has chosen to cut ties with Nick Cannon due to his remarks. In the statement, the company stated: "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 Wednesday, July 15, Nick Cannon issued a statement on Facebook where he reflected on his long history with ViacomCBS and how much work he has put into Wild 'N Out. Cannon is now seeking an apology from ViacomCBS and is willing to fight for full ownership of the Wild 'N Out franchise.
In recent times, most TV hosts who were ousted from their shows due to problematic remarks have not been very successful regaining positions of power or profiting from the franchises that made them famous. However, Nick Cannon from The Masked Singer and other popular shows seems willing to fight back, saying the following on his social media statement: "Now I am the one making demands. I demand full ownership of my billion-dollar 'Wild 'N Out' brand that I created. (...) 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!"
Fans of Wild 'N Out must now wait and see what will happen to this franchise. Moreover, experts are now questioning whether Fox will follow suit and also terminate their relationship with Cannon, ultimately firing him as the host of The Masked Singer.
Source: Variety, Nick Cannon