© Reuters / Mario Anzuoni
Nick Cannon arrives at the 2018 Teen Choice Awards event in Inglewod, California.
Entertainer Nick Cannon has offered a lengthy apology after creating a wave of controversy with anti-Jewish remarks in a recently published interview, but offered no mea culpa for similar inflammatory comments about white people.
"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," Cannon said in the first of a series of tweets on Wednesday night,
adding that he is "ashamed" his comments "reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people."
Cannon landed himself in hot water earlier this week after posting an interview with rapper and former Public Enemy member Richard Griffin, believed to have been recorded sometime last year. In the clip, Cannon delved into a number of questionable theories,
arguing African Americans are the "true Hebrews," while suggesting the Rothschilds - a wealthy Jewish family that features prominently in a number of conspiracy theories - were part of a cabal seeking to control "everything, even outside of America." The comments swiftly prompted his employer, ViacomCBS, to cut ties with the entertainer.
Wednesday's apology marks a rapid reversal for Cannon,
who less than a day prior penned a nearly 1,500-word Facebook post demanding that ViacomCBS apologize instead - saying the company was "on the wrong side of history" - and insisting on "full ownership" of the 'Wild 'n Out' TV series he hosted and helped to create.
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