The comedian said on Thursday that he was taking the time away to 'commit myself to deeper, more thorough reflection and education.'
UPDATE: In a statement to ET on Friday, Lionsgate and Debmar-Mercury revealed that Nick Cannon's upcoming talk show is on hold. The series will not debut this year, but the companies say they are standing by Cannon and hope to debut his talk show in the fall of 2021.
"The 'Nick Cannon' talk show will not debut this year. After conversations with Nick, we do believe that his public comments don’t reflect his true feelings and his apology is heartfelt and sincere. 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," the statement reads. "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."
"Lionsgate and Debmar-Mercury condemn anti-Semitism, racism and hate speech. It runs counter to everything we stand for," the statement adds.
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Nick Cannon announced on Thursday that he'll be taking "some time away" from his Los-Angeles based radio show, Nick Cannon Mornings, on Meruelo Media’s KPWR-FM Power 106. The break comes amid backlash from anti-Semitic comments he made during an episode of his Cannon's Class podcast last month.
"Morning radio family. I have decided to take some time away from my radio show so I can commit myself to deeper, more thorough reflection and education," tweeted Cannon, who's hosted the show since June 2019. "I continue to express my gratitude to the Rabbis, community leaders and institutions who have reached out to me to help enlighten me."
"Their input and friendship will help me as I further commit myself to more profound learning and towards strengthening the bond between the Black and Jewish cultures every day going forward," he added.
Skyview Networks, the syndicator for the national version of the show, said in a statement to ET that "Nick Cannon has begun a period of self-reflection to address the pain he caused."
"While we recognize his apology, this time is needed to establish an action plan towards real change and advocacy," the statement continued. "During this period, production of the Nick Cannon Radio show will pause. Skyview Networks values all communities and faiths and we expect all programs and personalities we syndicate to adhere to these principles."
ET has reached out to Cannon's rep for additional comment.
Cannon also took to social media one day prior, addressing the backlash he's received and slamming ViacomCBS for choosing to fire him.
"I am deeply saddened in a moment so close to reconciliation that the powers that be, misused an important moment for us to all grow closer together and learn more about one another. Instead the moment was stolen and high jacked to make an example of an outspoken Black man," he wrote. "I will not be bullied, silenced, or continuously oppressed by any organization, group, or corporation."
"I must apologize to my Jewish Brothers and Sisters for putting them in such a painful position, which was never my intention, but I know this whole situation has hurt many people and together we will make it right," he added. "I have dedicated my daily efforts to continuing conversations to bring the Jewish Community and the African American community closer together, embracing our differences and sharing our commonalities."
Cannon also claimed in his post that he reached out to Sumner Redstone, the Chair of ViacomCBS, to "have a conversation of reconciliation" and apologize. ViacomCBS tells ET in a statement, however, that this is "absolutely untrue."
"ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind and we categorically denounce all forms of anti-Semitism. We have spoken with Nick Cannon about an episode of his podcast Cannon’s Class on YouTube, which promoted hateful speech and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories," a ViacomCBS spokesperson told ET in another statement. "While we support ongoing education and dialogue in the fight against bigotry, we are deeply troubled that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism, and we are terminating our relationship with him. We are committed to doing better in our response to incidents of anti-Semitism, racism, and bigotry. ViacomCBS will have further announcements on our efforts to combat hate of all kinds."
Hear more on the fallout in the video below.
Entertainment Tonight and ETonline.com are both owned by ViacomCBS.
(This story was originally published July 16 at 12:18 p.m. PT)
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