Nick Cannon sparked controversy during an episode of his web series 'Big Drive' by calling the Democratic Party 'the party of the KKK' and praising the Republicans for 'freeing the slaves.' The 45-year-old comedian made the remarks while hosting Amber Rose, a former Democrat who has embraced conservative views in recent years.
Cannon also expressed admiration for former President Donald Trump, stating, 'Motherfer's cleaning house!' and adding, 'I f with Trump.' He clarified that he does not align with either political party, invoking a quote from W.E.B. Du Bois, who abstained from the 1956 presidential election, arguing that both parties are essentially the same.
Rose, who gave a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention, claimed Democrats 'don’t care about black people and they don’t care about people of color,' while Republicans do. Cannon agreed, stating, 'People don’t know that the Democrats is the party of the KKK. People don’t know that the Republicans are the party that freed the slaves.'
Historical context shows that factions of the Democratic Party were involved in the rise of the KKK after the Civil War, while the Republican Party was founded by anti-slavery activists. Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1861, and the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, was passed by a Republican-majority House of Representatives in 1865.
Cannon and Rose both acknowledged holding some conservative views, with Rose being more outspoken about her political shift. Cannon denied that Rose's change in political affiliation was due to financial success, as he jokingly suggested.