Nick Cannon is walking away from one of his most high-profile gigs after alleging that NBC threatened to “silence” him.
Nick Cannon’s recent Showtime comedy special Stand Up, Don’t Shoot lived up to its title. The name is a play on words stemming from the “hands up, don’t shoot” chant that is screamed at protests that follow whenever an unarmed Black man is shot down by police. It’s also a nod to Cannon’s rising desire to be an edgy comedian and political activist in addition to being a popular mainstream television host. So in the title, Cannon is asking his many audiences ranging from his Nickelodeon days to his rapper phases to MTV’s
It’s also a nod to Cannon’s rising desire to be an edgy comedian and political activist in addition to being a popular mainstream television host. So in the title, Cannon is asking his many audiences ranging from his Nickelodeon days to his rapper phases to MTV’s Wildin’ Out to NBC’s America’s Got Talent, not to persecute him for the jokes he’s going to tell.
In the aftermath of the special, where he told countless jokes about race, directly calling out the White people who like him, he did indeed get shot, twice. Once in the foot by himself, and again in the chest by NBC.
In a Facebook post, Cannon announced that he was leaving his gig of nearly a decade as host of America’s Got Talent. He says he made the decision after he was notified that NBC did not care for some of the jokes he told in Stand Up, Don’t Shoot. Among them were those when they were mentioned by name.
Cannon joked:
“I grew up like a real n*gga, but I honestly believe, once I started doing America’s Got Talent, they took my real n*gga card. They did! Because then like these type of people started showing up to my shows [points at White people in the front row]. I can’t do the real n*gga stuff no more, because then they’ll put me on TMZ…I apologize, white people. We over here talking about bitches and players and stuff, and you think this is America’s Got Talent. It’s going to be a little different tonight. America’s Got Talent, but America’s got n*gga, too, so. You staring at a real one onstage…Matter of fact, that’s what NBC gonna stand for tonight. N*gga Better Come on, ‘cuz N*gga Be Cussing! So N*gga Be Careful!”
In his Facebook post blasting NBC, Cannon says:
After days of deliberating over some extremely disappointing news that I was being threatened with termination by Executives because of a comedy special that was only intended to bring communities closer together, I was to be punished for a joke. This has weighed heavy on my spirit. It was brought to my attention by my “team” that NBC believed that I was in breach of contract because I had disparaged their brand. In my defense, I would ask how so? Or is this just another way to silence and control an outspoken voice who often battles the establishment…I find myself in a dark place having to make a decision that I wish I didn’t have to, but as a man, an artist, and a voice for my community I will not be silenced, controlled or treated like a piece of property. There is no amount of money worth my dignity or my integrity. I have loved hosting AMERICAS GOT TALENT for the last 8 seasons, watching talented, brave, and courageous Americans accomplish their dreams in front of millions has been nothing but a joy, and everyone has been a pleasure to work with but my soul won’t allow me to be in business with corporations that attempt to frown on freedom of speech, censor artists, and question cultural choices. Not to get too detailed but this isn’t the first time executives have attempted to “put me in my place” for so called unruly actions. I will not stand for it.
When Cannon says, “I would ask how so” and says “this isn’t the first time,” he highlights the handful of times NBC may have thought Cannon’s voice outside of AGT could be a blemish to their brand.
There’s the time he recorded a video for a poem titled “Life Is Political” outside of a voting station in Florida.
NBC will get “political” in the context of funny Saturday Night Live skits on whoever is President of the United States at the moment. Or they will allow comedians to talk about the elephant in the room during SNL’s opening monologue. But videos like this are a little too real and direct and simply not “funny enough.” Cannon obviously knew this since he uploaded it to Youtube himself and didn’t try to perform it on AGT.
Another instance of Cannon ruffling NBC’s feathers could be when he said “I ain’t voting until black lives matter” on the Howard Stern show last July. Or it could be the time he actually led a Black Lives Matter march. Or it could be the time he accused Hillary Clinton and Planned Parenthood of committing genocide on Black people. Or maybe it was the time he put his personal life out there and made a song about his soon to be ex-wife Mariah Carey. Or it could be the time he joked that the Dr. Huxtable character on NBC’s The Cosby Show was the rapey person that Cosby has been accused of being. Or even the time he dropped an album titled White People Party Music.
Cannon had been on a hot streak of making political and controversial statements that NBC could find unbecoming of a host of their popular family show. But, it seems like his NBC joke was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
That said, was Cannon’s desire to be anything but what NBC was paying him to be, worth it?
Let’s consider that NBC, never publicly reprimanded Cannon for speaking his mind. We never saw any reports of NBC considering giving Cannon the axe for any of his remarks. It appears that Cannon’s wanting to be a “real n*gga” has cost him a gig that is rumored to be paying him $70,000 per episode via a $20 million contract.
For the most part, Cannon has always been viewed in the same lane as Wayne Brady. “Real n*ggas” may not have supported or watched their endeavors, but they respected the hustle. Getting paid to do what you love and making more than enough to support your family are things that actual “real n*ggas” strive for, dream of, and sometimes get killed trying to do.
That said, what is the “real n*gga stuff” that Cannon feels he lost the ability to partake in? He could still continue donating to charities. He could still sell his brand of headphones and backpacks. He could still produce shows like Wildin’ Out that give young, minority comics a chance to shine. As of now, it just looks like Cannon wanted to be able to say “real n*gga stuff” out loud and not be judged for it [sound familiar?], whatever “real n*gga stuff” is supposed to mean. In case you didn’t know, there’s “real n*ggas” that do “real n*gga stuff” every day without acting like a “real n*gga” or even referring to themselves as one.
As a network, NBC appears to have a long leash when it comes to tolerating their celebrity hosts. Even though he’d been accused of everything from sexual harassment to making racist jokes, NBC finally parted ways with Donald Trump by replacing him as host of Celebrity Apprentice and dumping his Miss USA and Miss America pageants after his disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants.
Granted, details about this conflict have yet to surface. But it appears that NBC may not have had a huge problem with Cannon’s recent remarks. But when they heard their brand being mocked with acronyms like “N*gga Better C’mon,” “N*ggas Be Cussin” and “N*gga Be Careful,” maybe they’d heard enough.
If Cannon does follow through with quitting his job, or if NBC actually decides to part ways with him, a replacement will be found quickly. Hell, it might even be Wayne Brady himself or maybe Steve Harvey. Or maybe the two sides will sitdown and reevaluate things.
At that point, we will find out just how much a “n*gga” is worth.
Photo: WENN.com
