Nick Cannon and ViacomCBS are back on good terms again.
Cannon will resume production on his VH1 series Wild ‘N Out in the near future, and past episodes of the show are set to begin airing again on the cable network later this week. The patching up of Cannon’s relationship with the media giant follows his apology for anti-Semitic comments on his podcast last summer and subsequent work educating himself and working with Jewish groups.
“Nick has not only apologized and taken responsibility for his comments, but he has also worked to educate himself and others through engagement with Jewish leaders and on his platforms,” said a spokesperson for ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group. “Those efforts are of the utmost importance and that’s why we have invited him to rejoin our team. On a separate note, we just learned that he tested positive for COVID and have reached out to wish him a speedy recovery.”
ViacomCBS cut ties with Cannon last summer over what the conglomerate termed “hateful speech” in an episode of his podcast, Cannon’s Class. During the episode, Cannon and Richard Griffin, aka Professor Griff, a former member of rap group Public Enemy, discussed anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. At one point during the conversation, Cannon said Black people are “the true Hebrews.”
Cannon apologized for his remarks and pledged to commit to “deeper connections, more profound learning and strengthening the bond between our two cultures today and every day going forward.” At the same time, he also demanded (via Facebook post) that ViacomCBS turn over full ownership of Wild ‘N Out to him and apologize for “back door bullying.”
Following his apology, Fox said Cannon would remain as host of its top-rated series The Masked Singer. (Following his positive COVID test earlier this week, Cannon will miss some early episodes of the forthcoming fifth cycle of the show. Niecy Nash will fill in for him.) A syndicated daytime talk show starring Cannon was pushed back from a planned fall 2020 debut but ultimately greenlit for later this year.
