News | Entertainment
28 Dec 2025 23:44
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Nick Cannon has claimed his great-grandfather was a Spanish rabbi

    The 39-year-old star - who was fired by ViacomCBS last month after making anti-Semitic comments on his 'Cannon Class' podcast - has claimed that he only found out about his roots after the recent controversy


    Speaking to Rabbi Noam Marans on American Jewish Committee's 'AJC Advocacy Anywhere' show, he said: "My mother has been calling me every single day since this happened with so much family history. My great-grandfather was a Spanish rabbi. He's a Sephardic Jewish man.

    "So, as much heat as I've been catching from the public and the outside, this hit home for my family in a real way because I come from a Black and Jewish family on my mother's side."

    Nick later issued an apology and insisted he never meant to spread "hate and propaganda" against Jewish people.

    And during his appearance on 'AJC Advocacy Anywhere', he insisted he wanted to move ahead with "truth and reconciliation".

    Nick said: "A lot of people may have been upset that I apologised, but I feel like that's what someone of true character is actually supposed to do when they hurt someone.

    "Now, let's get through this process of truth and reconciliation."

    Last month, in a lengthy apology on social media, Nick said: "First and foremost I extend my deepest and most sincere apologies to my Jewish sisters and brothers for the hurtful and divisive words that came out of my mouth.

    "They reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I feel ashamed of the uninformed and naive place that these words came from.

    "I am committed to deeper connections, more profound learning and strengthening the bond between our two cultures today and every day going forward."

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     28 Dec: Brigitte Bardot, iconic French actor, sex symbol and animal rights campaigner, dies aged 91
     28 Dec: King Charles' Christmas speech will be available in virtual reality
     28 Dec: Lily Allen has been "shopping like an insane person" following the success of her album West End Girl
     28 Dec: Sean Ono Lennon fears that younger generations could forget about The Beatles
     28 Dec: Chris Rea shared a poignant social media post in the hours before his death
     28 Dec: Emma Heming Willis admits that Christmas has "changed" since her husband Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia
     28 Dec: Modern Family star Helen Siff has died at the age of 88
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Reigning world champion Luke Littler has fired a warning to his rivals after a dominant display in the third round of the world darts championship in London More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Melbourne could be facing water-restrictions from low-rainfall, a dry summer, and high water-use More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Brigitte Bardot, iconic French actor, sex symbol and animal rights campaigner, dies aged 91 23:37

    Motoring:
    Crews are cleaning up an oil spill along a stretch of State Highway 73, between Christchurch and the West Coast 21:57

    Motoring:
    In Upper Hutt near Kaitoke, the intersection of SH2 and Waterworks Road has reopened after a collision 21:47

    Entertainment:
    King Charles' Christmas speech will be available in virtual reality 20:20

    Entertainment:
    Lily Allen has been "shopping like an insane person" following the success of her album West End Girl 19:50

    Entertainment:
    Sean Ono Lennon fears that younger generations could forget about The Beatles 19:20

    Environment:
    Sandbagging stations are open in Australia's far north, where residents are braceding for a drenching, with a slow-moving monsoon expected to dump up to 700mm of rain 18:57

    Entertainment:
    Chris Rea shared a poignant social media post in the hours before his death 18:50

    Environment:
    Thousands of displaced people in Gaza are preparing threadbare tents in the face of more winter rain 18:37

    Politics:
    Taiwan's cunning tax compliance makes most shopping receipts a ticket in a lottery 18:27


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd