00:00Here are today's top stories. First, ViacomCBS has terminated their relationship with Nick Cannon
00:04over hateful speech on an episode of his podcast. Now he's speaking out. THR's Neha Joy has more.
00:11The artist came under fire after a conversation on the June 30th episode of his podcast,
00:15Cannon's Class, was deemed to contain racist and anti-Semitic language.
00:20The episode contained a 90-minute interview between Cannon and former public enemy member
00:24Richard Griffin, best known by his stage name, Professor Griff, where Cannon made comments that
00:29were said to spread views of anti-Semitism. The episode was then flagged by a Jewish blogger on
00:34Sunday. On Tuesday, media giant ViacomCBS responded to the incident by terminating their long-running
00:40relationship with the artist. In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the company
00:44wrote in part, ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind and we categorically denounce all forms of
00:50anti-Semitism. We have spoken with Nick Cannon about an episode of his podcast, Cannon's Class,
00:55on YouTube, which promoted hateful speech and spread anti-Semitism conspiracy theories.
01:00While we support ongoing education and dialogue in the fight against bigotry, we are deeply troubled
01:05that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism, and we are
01:11terminating our relationship with him. Cannon took to Facebook early on Wednesday morning to defend
01:15himself. In a lengthy post, the host demanded full ownership of my billion-dollar wild-and-out brand
01:21that I created, and asked for an end to the hate and backdoor bullying and an apology. He wrote in
01:25part, I am deeply saddened in a moment so close to reconciliation that the powers that be misused an
01:31important moment for us to all grow closer together and learn more about one another. Instead, the moment
01:35was stolen and hijacked to make an example of an outspoken black man. Cannon also said,
01:40I must apologize to my Jewish brothers and sisters for putting them in such a painful position,
01:44which was never my intention. But I know this whole situation has hurt many people,
01:48and together we will make it right. I've dedicated my daily efforts to continuing conversations to
01:53bring the Jewish community and the African-American community closer together, embracing our
01:57differences and sharing our commonalities. Next, Kanye West wrote, the White House has seemingly
02:01come to an end. Ten days after the musician and designer tweeted that he was running in the 2020
02:06election, the effort seems to have quietly ceased. West had hired advisor Steve Kramer to get him on the
02:12ballot by gathering signatures in two key states, Florida and South Carolina. But on Tuesday,
02:17Kramer told New York Magazine, he's out. I'll let you know what I know once I get all our stuff
02:22canceled. West has yet to confirm or deny the report. West's 11th hour White House bid meant he
02:27had little to no time to gather enough signatures in order to file with the Federal Election Commission
02:31to appear on any state ballot. Finally, Jon Hamm is set to star in a reboot of Fletch, the 1980s
02:37Chevy Chase movie based on the original Gregory McDonald mystery novels. Hamm will play I.M. Fletcher,
02:42the hotshot investigative reporter played by Chase in the 1985 neo-noir comedy of the same name. Hamm
02:48will also produce the latest movie adaptation at Miramax. For more on all these stories,
02:52head to THR.com. For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.
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