July 16 (UPI) -- Nick Cannon says he's sorry for his "hurtful and divisive" remarks about Jewish people.
The 39-year-old actor and television personality spoke out Wednesday after being accused of making anti-Semitic comments on his podcast, Cannon's Class, in June.
"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 during my interview with Richard Griffin," Cannon tweeted.
"They reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I feel ashamed of the uninformed and naïve place that these words came from," he said.
Cannon spoke to Griffin, a rapper and former member of the hip hop group Public Enemy, during the June 30 episode of his podcast. Cannon and Griffin said Jews have stolen Black people's identity as true Hebrews.
In addition, Cannon referenced teachings from Louis Farrakhan and a conspiracy theory about the Rothschild family, both of which are considered by many to be anti-Semitic.
Cannon said Wednesday that he's had an "eye-opening" minor history on the Jewish experience over the past few days.
"I want to express my gratitude to the Rabbis, community leaders and institutions who reached out to me to help enlighten me, instead of chastising me," the actor said.
"I want to assure my Jewish friends, new and old, that this is only the beginning of my education -- I am committed to deeper connections, more profound learning and strengthening the bond between our two cultures today and every day going forward," he concluded.
Following his remarks, Cannon was fired by ViacomCBS and will no longer host the improv show Wild 'N Out. Fox announced Thursday that Cannon will keep his job as the host of The Masked Singer.
"He is clear and remorseful that his words were wrong and lacked both understanding and context, and inadvertently promoted hate. This was important for us to observe," Fox said in a statement. "Nick has sincerely apologized, and quickly taken steps to educate himself and make amends."
