Nick Cannon apologizes for 'hurtful and divisive' anti-Semitic comments, angry fans say 'too late, bro'
After being fired by ViacomCBS for making some controversial anti-Semitic remarks in a 'Cannon’s Class' interview with former Public Enemy member Professor Griff aka Richard Griffin, the 'Wild ‘n Out' star Nick Cannon has now taken to social media to apologize for his past transgressions. In a lengthy series of tweets, Cannon made an unqualified apology for his statements on the podcast, and also expressed his gratitude to the Jewish community for helping to enlighten him on his previous ignorant statements.
On his official Twitter account, Nick Cannon posted, "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." This came after a weighty condemnation from ViacomCBS, which read, "While we support ongoing education and dialogue in the fight against bigotry, we are deeply troubled that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism, and we are terminating our relationship with him."
Cannon then continued to offer a mea culpa for his remarks, saying, "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." He then continued, "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."
He also expressed his thanks to the Jewish community for helping him learn in a constructive manner, saying, "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 then signed off on a positive note, declaring, "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."
However, some fans were skeptical of these measured comments, with one fan saying "The PR firm has taken over. These tweets aren't from Nick. He's a diehard Hebrew Israelite bIack supremacist, brainwashed by Louis Farrakhan."
Another said, "You just doing that to save face, because if you didn't mean it you wouldn't have said it." One fan also quipped "I’ve spent more time grounded than he did standing on his words!"
Other enraged Twitter users chimed in, with one saying "Too late bro" and another declaring, "Nick, my 3-month daughter has been a fan of yours ever since your days at Nickelodeon. That said, your comments were so disgraceful that she is in her room crying right now. I can't calm her down. She is so disappointed in you. Do better Nick. I am unfollowing you now."
However, Cannon also had his share of supporters, with one fan saying "Although you spoke the truth, I understand why you’re apologizing." Another user tweeted, "Hey. thank you. This thread was a really good beginning."
An understanding supporter said, "As a rabbi and someone who has chosen a career of upholding dignity and love for all people, this apology means a lot. Thank you, and to all the hatred being spewed in the comments below - it just shows that we have a long way to go in treating each other right."
Another fan concluded, "Hey .... sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment.... we ALL know how that goes! Forgiveness is key."