Nick Cannon returns as “Wild N’ Out” host after ViacomCBS reconciliation
ViacomCBS says Cannon has made amends for his anti-Semitic comments, which led the company to fire him over the summer.
ViacomCBS and Nick Cannon are reuniting to bring “Wild N’ Out” back to viewers after the television star made amends for anti-Semitic comments that landed him in hot water over the summer. According to Variety, which broke the news on Thursday evening (Feb. 4), Viacom has reestablished its working relationship with Cannon and plans to bring back old episodes of “Wild N’ Out” to VH1’s schedule this week and will resume the beloved series for new future episodes.
In a statement, the company explained that Cannon had taken responsibility for his controversial statements and partnered with Jewish leaders to make amends.
“Nick has not only apologized and taken responsibility for his comments, but he has also worked to educate himself and others through engagement with Jewish leaders and on his platforms,” an MTV Entertainment Group spokesperson told Variety. “Those efforts are of the utmost importance and that’s why we have invited him to rejoin our team. On a separate note, we just learned that he tested positive for COVID and have reached out to wish him a speedy recovery.”
In August, Cannon joined forces with Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt to co-author an op-ed article for the Jewish newspaper The Forward on the anniversary of the 2017 Charlottesville white supremacy rally about the need for Black and Jewish leaders to work together against racism. A month prior, the television host visited the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance and donated to the organization.
“He appears to be someone who’s genuine in his desire to make sure people understand his apology,” Wiesenthal Center Associate Dean Rabbi Abraham Cooper said to the Associated Press at the time.
Cooper and other Jewish leaders including Greenblatt, Rabbi Noam E. Marans of the American Jewish Committee and Rabbi Motti Seligson of Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters have reportedly continued to speak with Cannon about anti-racism efforts and praised his engagement.
The news arrives after plans for Cannon’s daytime talk show were also resumed. The syndicated series will now launch in the fall after being postponed for months amidst Cannon’s controversy.
“It’s been a longtime dream of mine to host my own daytime talk show and that I’m able to do this in New York City. Bringing daytime television back to the place that has fostered generations of talent is very special to me,” Cannon said of the series in a statement.
“With this show, we’ll be uniting all aspects of entertainment in a unique way in the very place where a lot of what we know today as our culture started,” he continued. “I couldn’t ask for better partners than Debmar-Mercury and Fox and thank them for supporting me in this endeavor.”