Nick Cannon will continue to host Fox’s top-rated reality competition series “The Masked Singer,” the network confirmed Wednesday. The news that Cannon would stay on “Masked Singer” comes after the host issued an online apology for the anti-Semitic comments he made on a podcast.
“When we found out about Nick Cannon’s interview with Richard Griffin on YouTube, we immediately started a dialogue with Nick,” the network said in a statement. “It is clear and sorry that his words were wrong and lacked understanding and context, and he inadvertently promoted hatred. This was important for us to observe. Nick sincerely apologized and quickly took steps to educate himself and make amends. On that basis, and given the belief that this moment requires dialogue, we will move forward with Nick and help him move this important conversation forward, generally speaking. Fox condemns all forms of hatred directed at any community and we will fight bigotry of any kind. “
Cannon released his apology the day after ViacomCBS ended a long-term relationship he had with the star, which included the long-running comedy series “Nick Cannon’s Wild ‘n Out”. ViacomCBS made the move after an exchange between Cannon and former Public Enemy member Professor Griff on the June 30 episode of Cannon’s podcast “Cannon’s Class.” At one point, Cannon said blacks are the “true Hebrews” and spoke about anti-Semitic conspiracy theories involving the Rothschild family.
“It is never a hate speech, you cannot be anti-Semitic when we are Semitic people,” Cannon said on the podcast. “When we are the same people they want to be. That is our birthright. We are the true Hebrews. “
In his apology, released Wednesday night, Cannon said he was now “embarrassed” by those statements; Cannon is said to have met with Jewish leaders in light of the controversy. “First of all, I express my sincere and 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. They reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I am ashamed of the uninformed and naive place where these words come from. The video of this interview has been removed.
“While the Jewish experience spans over 5,000 years and there is much that I have yet to learn, I have had at least a little history lesson in the past few days and to say that it is revealing would be a great understatement. I want to express my gratitude to the rabbis. , community leaders and institutions that reached out to me to help enlighten me, rather than punish me. I want to assure my Jewish friends, new and old, that this is just the beginning of my education: I am committed to deeper connections, a learning Deeper and strengthen the link between our two cultures today and every day in the future. “
Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury has yet to reveal whether their plans have changed regarding their new daytime talk show “Nick Cannon,” which will debut on Monday, September 21, in more than 90% of local US markets. The prolific Cannon is also a producer and appears on E! “Celebrity Call Center”, a new reality show that just launched this week. And he continues to present a daily radio program for Meruelo Media’s KPWR-FM (Power 106), which is distributed nationwide.
Cannon is also an executive producer on “Masked Singer,” and has been on the show since its release in January 2019. “Masked Singer” became a quick success and a cornerstone of the Fox show, so much so that the series received the slot behind the Super Bowl earlier this year.
“The Masked Singer” has aired 42 episodes over three seasons so far, with Cannon hosting all of them. She also hosted “The Masked Singer: After the Mask,” a later show that aired on Fox this spring. For his work on “The Masked Singer,” Cannon was nominated for Best Presenter at the 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards, as well as Best Presenter for this year’s Kids’ Choice Awards. He was also part of the production team nominated last year for a Producers Guild award.
In a social media post early Wednesday morning, Cannon said he left NBC and “America’s Got Talent” (which he previously hosted) after he said he felt the network “threatened and mistreated me for years,” and then ” It took my talents and executive creativity for my open-minded and willing partners on the Fox Television network to create the current # 1 hit television show “The Masked Singer” in which I am a presenter and executive producer. “
“The Masked Singer” has been in pre-production, including casting and preparation work, but is not believed to have resumed recording yet.
Cannon’s career has spanned acting, stand-up comedy, sketch, music, radio presenter, and more, with previous credits including “America’s Got Talent.” He told Cynthia Littleton of Variety earlier this year that he wasn’t looking for another network variety show to host after finishing an eight-season run on “AGT.”
“I was very meticulous about what I would like to host again in the non-coded variety space, as I had done it on the bigger level with ‘AGT’. I didn’t want to go in and organize another talent show,” he said. Cannon.
