LEGO fans organise petition protesting Nick Cannon as LEGO MASTERS host

A few days on from the announcement that Nick Cannon would replace Will Arnett as LEGO MASTERS USA host, fans are not happy.

US TV host Nick Cannon’s appointment to LEGO MASTERS USA has been met with dismay in the LEGO community, with some organising a petition to block him from appearing on the show. The concerns centre around past alleged anti-Semitic comments that resulted in Cannon being fired from his MTV show Wild ‘N Out and other work for the channel’s parent company, ViacomCBS back in 2020.

“ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind and we categorically denounce all forms of anti-Semitism,” the company said in a statement at the time. “While we support ongoing education and dialogue in the fight against bigotry, we are deeply troubled that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologise for perpetuating anti-Semitism, and we are terminating our relationship with him.”

The comments in question took place on the 30 June episode of Cannon’s Class, the presenter’s own podcast. Cannon interviewed former Public Enemy rapper Professor Griff, who left the group in 1989 after reportedly calling Jewish people ‘wicked’.

In the podcast episode, Professor Griff referenced Jewish people controlling the media to Cannon, to which Cannon replied: ‘You’re speaking facts.’ He also went on to call Professor Griff a ‘legend’ and argued that ‘Semitic people are black people’ and ‘you can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people.’

Cannon took to social media after getting fired to both apologise for his words and request an apology from ViacomCBS, writing:  “I don’t blame any individual, I blame the oppressive and racist infrastructure. Systemic racism is what this world was built on and was the subject in which I was attempting to highlight in the recent clips that have been circulating from my podcast. If I have furthered the hate speech, I wholeheartedly apologise.

“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!” he continued. “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!”

In a 2023 interview with All Hip Hop, Cannon went on to call the incident ‘a growth moment’, adding that it led to his new podcast with Jonathan Greenblatt.

“It’s really talking about the equation of our two communities from two different perspectives,” Cannon continued. “We voice our side, or the perspective as a Black man, and then he voices his side from a Jewish man. Just even that alone is helpful and educational for both communities.”

The announcement of Cannon as LEGO MASTERS USA host has been met with criticism by some in the LEGO community, sparking a petition with over 600 signatures at the time of writing. The description of the petition argues that ‘anyone other than Nick Cannon would have been a better choice to take over.’

“LEGO MASTERS is a cozy, family-friendly show and Nick Cannon will tarnish its reputation,” it continues. “Nick has a past history of antisemitic comments that has already caused one broadcasting company to cut ties with him. Fox made a huge mistake by going with their catch-all reality TV host with a past who will give viewers a reason to stop watching.”

Featured image: Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0

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