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ABC RadioNick Cannon says he’s not apologizing to a Catholic university in New Jersey after school officials called his comedy routine offensive.
Cannon, who preformed over the weekend as part of Georgian Court University’s homecoming festivities, tweeted University President Joseph R. Marbach‘s email that went out to staff and students about Cannon’s performance.
“I want to acknowledge out profound disappointment with Nick Cannon, the featured artist for this past Saturday’s comedy showcase,” the email reads.
“Mr. Cannon blatantly disregarded the terms of our contract, and much of his act ran counter to what we stand for at GCU.”
The message continues: “While comedy often explores serious social issues in ways that are fun and thought-provoking, Mr. Cannon’s act crossed the line.”
“His words were offensive and do not represent our Mercy core values. For that, we are deeply sorry, and the university has demanded an official apology from the artist and his representatives.”
Cannon responded the the message in his tweet, writing, “I ain’t apologizing for S*** LOL… wait, I’m sorry your university doesn’t believe in freedom of speech!!!”
In a statement obtained by USA Today, Marbach elaborated on his comments, saying Cannon was asked to “avoid vulgarity and explicit sexual content in his performance.”
“Unfortunately, he repeatedly chose to ignore this request,” Marbach said in the statement.
“Throughout his career, Mr. Cannon has appealed to a variety audiences on Nickelodeon, MTV, and NBC as well as Showtime. We planned on and trusted we were getting the NBC or MTV version of Mr. Cannon. We did not. That was unfortunate.”
Earlier this year, Cannon announced he was leaving America’s Got Talent after the network reportedly threatened to fire him over a racial joke he made during his Showtime comedy special, Stand Up, Don’t Shoot.
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