Diddy offers Nick Cannon a job after being fired for ‘hateful speech and antisemitism’

Diddy offered Nick Cannon a job after he was fired by US media giant ViacomCBS for “hateful speech and antisemitism”.

He showed his support for The Masked Singer host in an Instagram post shared with his 17.1 million followers.

The rapper, real name Sean Combs, wrote: “The only way we can change the narrative, educate, and uplift each other is if we do it together.”

He continued, “What we are not going to do is turn our backs on our brothers and sisters when they challenge the system.”

Diddy then invited Cannon to join his music cable network, writing: “Come home to @REVOLTTV, which is truly BLACK OWNED! We got your back and love you and what you have done for the culture.” The caption was accompanied by a photo of the two together.

Other celebrities have also voiced their support for Cannon. NBA star Dwyane Wade said in a now deleted tweet: “We are with you, keep leading.”

After deleting the tweet, Wade posted another, reading, “I was not supporting or condoning what Nick Cannon specifically said, but I had expressed my support of him owning the content and brand he helped create.”

Cannon, who hosted ViacomCBS shows including Wild ‘n’ Out, sparked controversy after he shared a video to his YouTube channel, which saw the TV presenter in conversation with former Public Enemy member Professor Griff.

In it, Cannon claimed that white and Jewish people in positions of power have a “lack of compassion” as they do not have melanin in their skin.

“They’re acting out of fear, they’re acting out of low self-esteem, they’re acting out of a deficiency,” Cannon said. “So, therefore, the only way that they can act is evil. They have to rob, steal, rape, kill in order to survive. So, these people that didn’t have what we have – and when I say we, I speak of the melanated people – they had to be savages.”

Cannon also referenced a number of antisemitic conspiracy theories, including “the Rothschilds, centralised banking, the 13 families, the bloodlines that control everything even outside of America”.

He additionally condemned “giving too much power to the ‘they’,” adding: “And then the ‘they’ turns into illuminati, the Zionists, the Rothschilds.”

In response to the backlash, the television host condemned hate speech on his Facebook page and denied having “hate in [his] heart nor malice intentions”. In a separate interview with Fast Company, however, he declined to apologise for his YouTube statements.

“Are you forcing me to say the words ‘I’m sorry’?” Cannon asked. “Are you making me bow down, ’cause then again, that would be perpetuating that same rhetoric that we’re trying to get away from. 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.”

CBSViacom issued a statement to say they were firing Cannon. “While we support ongoing education and dialogue in the fight against bigotry, we are deeply troubled that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologise for perpetuating antisemitism, and we are terminating our relationship with him.”

The singer has since made a lengthy apology on Twitter: “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.”

Following the statement, it has been announced that Nick Cannon will remain as the host of popular series The Masked Singer.