Nick Cannon is getting a second chance to launch a syndicated daytime talk show.
Debmar-Mercury and Fox Television Stations have committed to a fall launch of the daytime strip fronted by “The Masked Singer” host, an ambitious production that was originally set to premiere last September. But in July Debmar-Mercury postponed the rollout of “Nick Cannon” after comments he made on a podcast about the ancient history of Black people and Jews surfaced and were widely condemned as anti-Semitic.
“It’s been a longtime dream of mine to host my own daytime talk show and that I’m able to do this in New York City, bringing daytime television back to the place that has fostered generations of talent, is very special to me,” Cannon said in a statement. “With this show, we’ll be uniting all aspects of entertainment in a unique way in the very place where a lot of what we know today as our culture started. I couldn’t ask for better partners than Debmar-Mercury and Fox and thank them for supporting me in this endeavor.”
As the controversy raged last year, Cannon apologized and vowed to become better informed on history and why his comments were offensive. The outrage spurred also cost Cannon his deal with MTV to produce and host sketch comedy series “Wild ‘N Out,” his morning radio perch on Los Angeles’ Power 106 and his syndicated radio show.
Cannon spent time last year meeting with prominent rabbis and other Jewish leaders as part of his rehabilitation tour. In September, Cannon resumed his syndicated radio program with Skyview Networks and Meruelo Media, owner of Power 106. With the daytime talk show back on track, Cannon is also expected to soon return to Power 106 and to reach an accord ViacomCBS owner MTV to return to “Wild ‘N Out.”
Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus, co-presidents of Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, said last year that if Cannon proved to be genuinely contrite and did the work to understand the impact of his words, they would revive what had been an eagerly anticipated entry into the daytime yack pack. Originating from a studio in Harlem, “Nick Cannon” promises to serve up a blend of celebrity interviews, comedy sketches, performances and pop culture dish.
“We, along with our many other strong broadcast partners, are excited to be able to bring Nick’s unique, light-hearted and entertaining style to the daytime audience starting this fall,” Bernstein and Marcus said in a statement.
Cannon’s long history in TV and high-profile gig as host of primetime’s top-rated unscripted series, “The Masked Singer,” made Fox Television Stations eager to grab his daytime talk show when it was first shopped to buyers in 2019. With Fox O&Os on board, it’s likely that “Nick Cannon” will have no trouble re-engaging with other station groups that had been on board for “Nick Cannon” before it was shelved last summer.
