Nick Cannon and Viacom may not be over after all.
While speaking with employees at a town hall meeting Monday, Chris McCarthy, president of entertainment and youth brands at ViacomCBS, commended Cannon on the journey he has taken to try and right his wrongs, Variety reports. "I struggle with the fact that Nick, a longtime partner and friend of ours, is on this journey and we’re not part of that journey," McCarthy said when Cannon's name was brought up.
McCarthy later left the door wide open for a reunion, saying, "I am hopeful we find a way to bring these two things together and hopefully we will have the opportunity to do that with Nick again."
Viacom announced last month that they were severing ties with the multi-hyphenate over anti-Semitic remarks he made during his Cannon’s Class podcast. Cannon responded to their decision by demanding that he receive full ownership of Wild ‘N Out, as well as an apology. "If I have furthered the hate speech, I wholeheartedly apologize," he wrote in a Facebook post titled "Truth and Reconciliation."
"But now I am the one making demands," Cannon continued. "I demand full ownership of my billion dollar Wild ‘N Out brand that I created, and they will continue to misuse and destroy without my leadership! I demand that the hate and back door bullying cease and while we are at it, now that the truth is out, I demand the Apology!"
One month after demanding full ownership of his "billion dollar Wild ‘N Out brand," The Blast reported that Cannon was suing Viacom for $1.5 billion. This rumor was shot down by his rep, who said his focus lies on "bringing people together and fighting bigotry, racism and hate," and not on claiming a huge payday.
Part of Cannon's road to reconciliation included inviting Rabbi Abraham Cooper on his podcast for a lengthy discussion that spanned his anti-Semitic comments and spreading conspiracy theories. Cannon was also interviewed by Rabbi Noam E. Marans for the American Jewish Committee. Afterwards, Rabbi Marans acknowledged in a column for the Jerusalem Post that through their discussion, Cannon "understands why his words were blatantly antisemitic and has begun the process of undoing the damage he has caused."
