Nick Cannon basically quit “America’s Got Talent” in a
lengthy Facebook post Monday morning.
Cannon, who has hosted the reality competition since 2009, said that NBC threatened to terminate his contract because of a racial joke he made during his recent Showtime stand-up special, “Stand Up, Don’t Shoot.”
TMZ reported that NBC execs were considering firing Cannon for his jokes on the grounds that he was violating a clause in his contract forbidding him from “disparaging the network.” NBC eventually backed off, as they ultimately enjoyed Cannon’s work as “AGT” host and didn’t want to spoil the relationship.
Unfortunately for the Peacock Network, Cannon isn’t going to take it. He took to Facebook Monday morning criticizing NBC for trying to threaten his ability to freely express himself, saying the threats were “another way to silence and control an outspoken voice who often battles the establishment.”
Cannon apologized to “AGT” fans and said that he enjoyed the eight seasons he spent working on the show, but decided that continuing to work with NBC was not in his best interests as an artist. He also criticized major media corporations like NBC Universal for their scarcity of minority executives despite controlling “90 percent of media.”
“AGT” was the top-rated summer show on broadcast TV last year, averaging approximately 11 million viewers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Season 12 is set to begin filming next month.
