When Nick Cannon made anti-Semitic remarks during a discussion with public enemy figure Richard “Professor Griff” Griffin, Dwyane Wade tweeted his support for The masked singer host. Wade then deleted the first tweet, and then clarified that he doesn’t support the comments. ESPN host Stephen A. Smith has since been featured in the drama and defended Wade. He also called Cannon’s critics.
“Dwyane Wade is one of the most special brothers you will meet in your life,” said Smith. “He doesn’t have a hateful bone in his body. I’ve known him for years, and I’m telling you what I know about this guy.” Smith later explained that he believes Wade is someone who is very sensitive to hate issues. He is a member of the African American community and has a daughter who is part of the LGBT + community.
My thoughts on @DwyaneWade and @NickCannon. pic.twitter.com/Ljl9kqlio5
– Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 16, 2020
As Smith continued to argue, he said the overwhelming response to George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody on May 25, was that people promised to listen. However, he believed that recent responses to someone “out of his pocket” was to cancel him immediately. I wanted to know where the “council culture” is.
As Smith spoke about his personal experiences with Wade, he made comments about Cannon that sparked criticism on social media. Smith said the comments “may have been anti-Semitic” and that he did not really know what they were. This statement sparked speculation from Twitter users.
When Smith said he didn’t know what Cannon said, many Twitter users didn’t believe him. They said that the First take The host had “no excuse” for not knowing the statement or the context. This conversation took place days before Smith’s video, providing enough time to learn about everything that is going on.
“Stephen, I have seen you for years on ESPN. You know what Nick Cannon said and you know the context in which he said them. It is unfathomable that you would not know it 3 hours later, much less 3 days later. What is excessive is you couldn’t go out there and flatly denounce it, “commented one person on Twitter. Others chimed in and said Smith was showing “hypocrisy” by turning a “blind eye” to Cannon’s comments.
While some Twitter users expressed disappointment or anger over Smith’s video, he also received support. These fans said they are not fans of the “culture of cancellation” and that it is better to promote education and civil discourse. They were ready for “honest, raw” conversations.
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