Nick Cannon Calls Backlash to His Past Anti-Semitic Comments a 'Growth Moment'

"I'm really putting my money where my mouth is and my energy to where my heart is," Cannon said

Nick Cannon says he's learned — and is still learning — from his mistakes.

The actor and comedian sparked backlash for perpetuating anti-Semitism with comments he made in 2020.

"I'm gonna be super honest with you, man. That process was a growth moment for me on so many levels as a man," Cannon, 42, said during a recent appearance on AllHipHopTV. "And I even now, we have a podcast, myself and the CEO of the [Anti-Defamation League], Jonathan Greenblatt, called Solutions: To Hate or Not To Hate. And it's really talking about the equation of our two communities from two different perspectives. ... We voice our side, or the perspective as a Black man, and then he voices his side from a Jewish man."

The father of 12 continued, "Even that alone is helpful and educational for both communities right and again too because that's the thing we can sit up here and be enraged but if we don't engage, what are we really doing if we can't learn from one another?"

Related:ViacomCBS 'Terminating' Its Relationship with Nick Cannon Over Anti-Semitic Remarks

From now on, Cannon said he is "no longer about just talk" as he aims to continue "putting my money where my mouth is and my energy to where my heart is." He believes this approach will benefit "the next people who say something in front of a microphone" so they "can have an understanding of what it is so they don't they don't stumble and fumble and have to lose opportunities or get so-called canceled."

"It's just about bringing people closer together," he added. "Ultimately, nobody's monolithic but we're all one organism that allows this thing to keep pumping."

Related:Nick Cannon Returning to ViacomCBS as Wild 'N Out Host After Apologizing for Anti-Semitic Comments

Cannon was criticized in June 2020 for making controversial comments about the Jewish community on his YouTube channel's Cannon's Class series, where he discussed anti-Semitic conspiracy theories with former Public Enemy member Richard "Professor Griff" Griffin. (Griffin was previously ousted from the group after making anti-Semitic remarks in a 1989 Washington Post interview.)

Initially addressing his comments in a lengthy Facebook statement, Cannon said he does "not condone hate speech nor the spread of hateful rhetoric."

"The Black and Jewish communities have both faced enormous hatred, oppression persecution and prejudice for thousands of years and in many ways have and will continue to work together to overcome these obstacles," he previously wrote. "When you look at The Media, and other sectors in our nation's history, African Americans and The people of the Jewish community have partnered to create some of the best, most revolutionary work we know today."

"I am an advocate for people's voices to be heard openly, fairly and candidly. In today's conversation about anti-racism and social justice, I think we all - including myself - must continue educating one another and embrace uncomfortable conversations - it's the only way we ALL get better," he continued. "I encourage more healthy dialogue and welcome any experts, clergy, or spokespersons to any of my platforms to hold me accountable and correct me in any statement that I've made that has been projected as negative."

Cannon added that he was holding himself "accountable" and took "full responsibility" for the harmful things he said. "My intentions are only to show that as a beautiful human species we have way more commonalities than differences, So let's embrace those as well as each other. We All Family," he added.

Related:Nick Cannon Visits Jewish Human Rights Group, Learns About Holocaust After-Semitic Comments

Later addressing the comments with Fast Company, Cannon said that "apologies are empty."

"Are you forcing me to say the words 'I'm sorry'? Are you making me bow down, 'cause then again, that would be perpetuating that same rhetoric that we're trying to get away from," he said. "What we need is healing. What we need is discussion. Correct me. I don't tell my children to say, 'I'm sorry.' I want them to understand where they need to be corrected. And then that's how we grow."

Cannon's stance ultimately led to the termination of his years-long relationship with ViacomCBS, also resulting in the initial cancellation of his popular Wild 'n Out series. But the partnership eventually resumed in early 2021, with MTV Entertainment Group saying Cannon had "taken responsibility for his comments" and "worked to educate himself" by having discussions with Jewish leaders, per USA Today.

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Cannon was able to keep his role hosting The Masked Singer at Fox upon the network accepting his public apology, which occurred as he began educating himself on his wrongs and the Jewish community as a whole. He even donated his first post-scandal paycheck to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

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