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Michael Tran/Getty ImagesNick Cannon sat down with Rabbi Abraham Cooper to be “corrected” following last week’s anti-Semitic comments on his podcast.
On Tuesday, the two discussed the prevalence of conspiracy theories and the longstanding history of violence against Jewish people during a two-part episode of Cannon’s Class.
Cannon admitted his comments during the June episode of his podcast “made a lot of people mad,” including the Jewish and Black community.
He shared that he sought out Cooper, an associate dean and director of Global Social Action Agenda at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in New York, after an online commenter suggested “anyone seeking a Ph.D. in Jew-hatred” should watch the interview.
As a self-described student “studying theology and on a mission to receive a PhD in divinity,” Cannon insists he’s tried to evolve from the “very conservative Christian beliefs” he learned as a child.
Cannon’s anti-Semitic remarks led ViacomCBS to cut ties with the Wild N’ Out creator. He has since apologized for his “hurtful” comments in a lengthy Facebook post, but like many, he believes apologies are pointless without changed behavior.
“I actually don’t like apologies because I feel like apologies are empty because, in that sense, you can say sorry as many times [as you want],” he said. “But if you don’t learn, if you’re not corrected, and then you move forward, there’s no growth. There’s no healing.”
When Cannon asked the rabbi if he believes his apology was sincere, Cooper responded, “yes.”
By Rachel George
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