Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters
Nick Cannon announced on Monday that he will leave NBC and vacating his role as host of America’s Got Talent. In a Facebook post, Cannon said he was “threatened with termination” by NBC executives over a racially charged joke he made during a Showtime special he hosted. “I will not be punished for a joke,” Cannon wrote. “I find myself in a dark place having to make a decision that I wish I didn’t have to, but as a man, an artist, and a voice for my community I will not be silenced, controlled or treated like a piece of property. There is no amount of money worth my dignity or my integrity.” The show is entering its 12th season; Cannon has hosted the last eight. According to TMZ, the offending remark was that Cannon said NBC was trying to make him lose his “black card.”