The past month or so has been a hectic one for multimedia entertainer Nick Cannon, and for once, it hasn't revolved around his past relationship with pop icon Mariah Carey or his diss-tended feud with Eminem. Cannon's longstanding contract with ViacomCBS was terminated in July, following publicized statements made on his video podcast Cannon's Class that were deemed insensitive and anti-Semitic. Now, it's being reported that Cannon is planning to drop a massive lawsuit on ViacomCBS for more than a billion dollars over getting excised from his MTV/VH1 competition series Wild 'N Out.
In case anyone in the back row didn't hear all that, Nick Cannon is reportedly aiming to sue ViacomCBS for $1.5 billion in an attempt to get what he feels he's owed from losing the Wild 'N Out empire that he first created back in 2005. Here's part of the statement made by Cannon's publicity team, per The Shade Room.
It is just that simple, Wild’N Out belongs to Nick! The show was created by Nick Cannon with his idea and original thought. Wild’N Out has brought billions of dollars in revenue to Viacom since 2015. And Nick deserves and has earned everything it is worth.
Both in the case of live airings and repeats, Wild 'N Out has been going strong on MTV, and now VH1, ever since Nick Cannon revived the show back in 2013. Though Cannon gained fame through other avenues over the years, from previously hosting America's Got Talent to currently heading up The Masked Singer, he has always kept Wild 'N Out a priority, so it definitely wouldn't be a surprise to fans if he attempted to bring legal action against ViacomCBS for severing all ties, even if the $1.5 billion ask is so gigantic.
It's reported that whatever money Nick Cannon gets from the lawsuit is intended to be used in part to set up investments to provide better educational programs within disadvantaged communities. Beyond that, Cannon allegedly would also use they money to fund youth organizations and other community-enriching programs, including some meant to help those in need of psychological assistance.
The rest of the statement released by Cannon's publicity team is below.
From the platforms he provides for other entertainers, the jobs he creates for black youth, the time he gives to mentoring incarcerated men and women, to the money he gives back and puts into communities, homelessness, and people less fortunate. He is constantly evolving both spiritually and mentally, as well as, taking action in learning, education and bridging the gap within the Jewish and African American communities, so that it will allow us to build relationships, work together and learn from each other in order to move forward in equality.
It was almost exactly a month ago, on July 14, when ViacomCBS fired Nick Cannon over a variety of controversial comments made with the already polarizing Professor Griff, who famously exited the rap group Public Enemy in the late '80s after sharing his problematic opinions about homosexuality and the Jewish community. Cannon's opinions during the Cannon's Class conversation were also deemed to be anti-Semitic, racist and clouded by black supremacist views.
Following the quickly escalating backlash against him, Nick Cannon first went on the offensive, but later came out with lengthy apologies for his actions, claiming he would be taking time to further educate himself concerning the Jewish faith and its followers, among other things. Execs from Fox, where The Masked Singer airs, were obviously not enthused by Nick Cannon causing his own controversial backlash, but the network stuck with the entertainer after his apology.
It's unclear at this point whether Nick Cannon will indeed file that $1.5 billion lawsuit, or if his legal team will try to reach a settlement with ViacomCBS to handle things outside of a courtroom. If only the U.S. legal system handled court cases using rap battles...
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more on Nick Cannon's potential lawsuit against ViacomCBS. In the meantime, be sure to check out our Fall TV 2020 premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way, with The Masked Singer Season 4 set to join Fox's lineup if filming is permitted.
