Nick Cannon has found himself at a standstill when it comes to choosing between Sean "Diddy" Combs and Casandra "Cassie" Ventura.
During a recent episode of his "Counsel Culture" podcast — recorded before Combs' homes were raided last week — Cannon addressed resurfaced remarks regarding his reaction to Ventura's November 2023 sexual assault-related lawsuit against the "I'll Be Missing You" rapper.
Appearing as a guest on the "Way Up With Angela Yee" podcast last year, Cannon admittedly couldn't pick a side when questioned about the case, admitting, "I find it difficult when I'm asked about people I know... They asked me about Puff and I answered it as honestly as I knew how to answer it."
"I know these people. They're not just public figures to me," the Wild N' Out host continued, noting he was still "praying" for Ventura and "hooping for the best," but felt he was put in an awkward position due to his close bond with Combs.
Cannon explained: "We just, like, the audience, we sitting back praying and hoping for the best, but then at the same time, when individuals — it's like a family member — when you hear something happened, you're like, 'D---.'"
"As we watch it, we're watching it in real time, and we don't know how to feel because one: We don't know the truth... we don't know everything. And when it's revealed, it'll be revealed," he added.
In the recent episode of his own podcast, Cannon doubled down on his in-the-middle stance during a conversation with guest Iyanla Vanzant.
"I was like, this is someone [Ventura] who was hurt, who was victimized... But then, when this question goes a little bit further, 'So what about Puff?' It’s like, I don’t know how to feel about that," he confessed, insisting it was Combs who "called, checked on me, stood by me, stood up for me" when Cannon faced public scrutiny of his own.
(Cannon found himself the subject of extreme public controversy in 2020, when he made antisemitic remarks he has since apologized for.)
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Because of Combs' support of Cannon when his name was being dragged through the mud, the dad-of-12 said, "I was like, 'What do I owe you?'"
"So, I have to almost do this dance about [it] when it comes up. Because just as much as I know Diddy, I know Cassie," Cannon concluded.
