Nick Cannon apologized for remarks he made that were deemed anti-Semitic, and Fox issued a statement saying he will continue as the host of “The Masked Singer.”
The 39-year-old TV personality was fired by ViacomCBS earlier this week after remarks he made on an episode of his podcast sparked outrage. Cannon spoke with rapper Professor Griff for an episode in which he claimed there was truth to many conspiracy theories about the Jewish people.
After sharing a heated Facebook post demanding an apology from ViacomCBS and the rights to his “Wild ‘N Out” brand, Cannon took to Twitter to issue a contrite apology for the effect his words may have had.
“First and foremost I extend my deepest and most sincere apologies to my Jewish sisters and brothers for the hurtful and divisive words that came out of my mouth during my interview with Richard Griffin,” he wrote.
“They reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I feel ashamed of the uninformed and naïve place that these words came from. The video of this interview has since been removed.”
Cannon added: “While the Jewish experience encompasses more than 5,000 years and there is so much I have yet to learn, I have had at least a minor history lesson over the past few days and to say that it is eye-opening would be a vast understatement.”
Cannon concluded his statement saying he has consulted with religious and community leaders who have been educating him over the past few days since the controversy broke out and he is committed to bettering his understanding of the issue.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
Fox issued a statement obtained by Fox News explaining that it has assessed the situation and will allow him to keep his role as host of “The Masked Singer.”
“When we were made aware of Nick Cannon’s interview with Richard Griffin on YouTube, we immediately began a dialogue with Nick. He is clear and remorseful that his words were wrong and lacked both understanding and context, and inadvertently promoted hate,” the statement reads. “This was important for us to observe.
The statement from the network continues:
“Nick has sincerely apologized, and quickly taken steps to educate himself and make amends. On that basis and given a belief that this moment calls for dialogue, we will move forward with Nick and help him advance this important conversation, broadly. Fox condemns all forms of hate directed toward any community and we will combat bigotry of any kind.”
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