Nick Cannon reflects on past accusations of anti-Semitism

"The Masked Singer" host talked about going through a "growth process" following 2020 comments, which resulted in a backlash because some believed that they promoted hatred of Jewish people.

Nick Cannon recently spoke about the backlash resulting from comments that he made in 2020 that some perceived to be against Jewish people. He stated he is still going through a “growth process” following the experience.

Cannon made the comments during a June 2020 episode of his podcast, “Cannon’s Class,” featuring Public Enemy member Professor Griff. Cannon’s comments led to Viacom terminating its working relationship with the comedian-TV host and canceling his MTV comedy series, “Wild ‘N Out.”

“Man, I’m going to be super honest with you. That process was a growth moment for me, on many levels as a man,” Cannon said during an interview with AllHipHop. He spoke about his steps to educate himself about the Jewish community and has collaborated with them to continue his growth.

SiriusXM At Super Bowl LIII
Nick Cannon attends SiriusXM at Super Bowl LIII Radio Row on Feb. 1, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

“And I even now, we have a podcast, myself and the CEO of the ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, called ‘Solutions: To Hate or Not To Hate,'” Cannon continued. “And it’s really talking about the equation of our two communities from two different perspectives. We voice our side, or the perspective as a Black man, and then he voices his side from a Jewish man.”

Viacom took notice of Cannon’s commitment to growth and building relations with the Jewish community. In February 2021, Viacom announced the return of “Wild ‘N Out” to MTV with Cannon back as host.

“The Masked Singer” host went on to say that communication with the Jewish community was essential to his growth.

“Just even that alone is helpful and educational for both communities,” he said. “And again, because that’s the thing, we can sit up here and be enraged, but if we don’t engage, what are we really doing if we can’t even learn from one another? And clearly, we all know the issues, we all know the tropes, we all know the stereotypes.”

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