Nick Cannon to quit ‘America’s Got Talent’ due to controversial joke

US (ABC) — Nick Cannon says he is leaving NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” after a falling out with the network over a joke he told on his Showtime comedy special, “Stand Up, Don’t Shoot.”

In the special, Cannon told a racially charged joke employing “NBC” as an acronym incorporating a racial slur.

“I grew up like a real n—-r, all that stuff, but I honestly believe once I stated doing ‘America’s Got Talent’, they took my real n—-r card,” he said.

In a lengthy Facebook post on Monday, Cannon claimed that NBC executives threatened to terminate him for disparaging the network’s name.

“After days of deliberating over some extremely disappointing news that I was being threatened with termination by Executives because of a comedy special that was only intended to bring communities closer together, I was to be punished for a joke,” Cannon wrote. He continued, “So I wish AGT and NBC the best in its upcoming season but I can not see myself returning.”

Representatives for Cannon and NBC did not respond to a request for comment.

Cannon has served as host of “America’s Got Talent” since 2009. The show is consistently NBC’s highest-rated offering during the summer months.