Nick Cannon's forthcoming talk show delayed for a year after anti-Semitic comments
Given how long he’s been a major figure in the entertainment industry, it’s understandably taken a minute for his various corporate partners to figure out what to “do” with Nick Cannon. So far, we’ve seen two distinctly different approaches in how to address Cannon’s recent anti-Semitic comments on his podcast Cannon’s Class, as well as his subsequent apologies for said comments. ViacomCBS cut all ties pretty much immediately—including canceling the revival of his comedy series Wild ‘N Out—while Fox opted to go for a more lenient route, keeping him on as host of its Masked Singer. Now Lionsgate has weighed in as well, announcing that its planned Nick Cannon daytime talk show isn’t canceled—but it’s also not coming out any time soon, either.
Per THR, the studio has opted to delay the release of the syndicated chat program until 2021, stating that, while “we do believe that his public comments don’t reflect his true feelings and his apology is heartfelt and sincere,” it still might be a good idea to, uh, not immediately launch a TV series predicated entirely on the universal likability of Nick Cannon. Instead, “We want to continue the healing process as he meets with leaders of the Jewish community and engages in a dialogue with our distribution partners to hear their views. We are standing by Nick in our hope that by fall 2021 he will be able to use his extraordinary talent and platform to entertain, enlighten and unite his audience on the Nick Cannon talk show.”
In other words: “Let’s wait and see how long it takes the public rehabilitation process to set in, huh?” Cannon has been effusive in his apologies for his comments, which included statements about “the bloodlines that control everything, even outside of America,” and comments about the Rothschild family. His apologies have appeared both in statements and on Facebook, asserting that, “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. 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.” All of which would make for a pretty packed billboard quote for the Nick Cannon Fun Daytime Talk Experience, which helps explain why the series will be placed firmly on the backbench until the fall of 2021.