‘America’s Got Talent’ judge Howie Mandel wants Nick Cannon back
Mandel made an appearance recently on “The View,” and as a result of that offered up some very smart, insightful commentary on what happened leading up to Cannon decided that he would be leaving the show. For those who missed it, the simple summary is that: Cannon made some jokes at a comedy club related to being on the show and how that pertained to his race and his image. Specifically, NBC reportedly objected to some of his language, and this led to Cannon feeling like he was disrespected since other talent over the years had been treated differently for their comments on the network.
Mandel understands in the video that there does have to be a certain degree of doing what the network wants from the vantage point of keeping them happy and not disparaging them. However, at the same time he also understands free speech and the art of performance. There’s a difference between Comedian Nick Cannon and Host Nick Cannon. The audience is different, and the attitude is different. It’s like there is a difference between Chris Hardwick on the Nerdist and Chris Hardwick on “The Wall.” There’s a different aesthetic and a different sort of content that you bring to the table.
Ultimately, humor is humor, but Mandel makes it clear that this is an era now where you have to be cautious with how your humor is presented. Someone somewhere is recording everything you say, possibly thinking that this is how you can generate some headlines.
We do think that Cannon, if he wants to, should return and NBC should be happy to have him. While we understand his remarks being controversial, it was a separate context. Also, he’s a huge part of why the show maintains a certain degree of success. Honestly, we’d never even heard of any furor over his remarks until he announced he was leaving.
Could Nick Cannon return to ‘America’s Got Talent’ in your mind? Share in the comments below!