Viacom sues Nick Cannon, Zeus Network over ‘Wild ‘n Out’ clone
Nick Cannon‘s been a “Bad” boy.
The host and creator of the Viacom-owned MTV’s wildly-successful improv rap battle show “Wild N’ Out” allegedly stole key elements of the program for a copycat on the subscription-based streaming platform Zeus Network — home to Cannon’s new program, “Bad Vs. Wild,” according to a lawsuit.
The inordinately virile musician and actor created and hosted “Wild ‘n Out” starting in 2005 and it aired for two decades over 21 seasons.
Itself an urban take on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” “Wild ‘n Out” brought celebs and street artists together for face-to-face rap battles that primarily consisted of “Your mama”-esque disses.
In 2024, Cannon, 44, jumped to Zeus and launched “Bad vs. Wild.”
“Zeus’s copying of these elements in ‘Bad vs. Wild’ constitutes . . . infringement,” according to the Manhattan federal court filing. “Zeus’s actions have caused . . . confusion, mistake, or deception as to the source.”
In addition, Zeus “intentionally induced Nick Cannon to breach his contract with Viacom by enlisting him as the host of ‘Bad vs. Wild,’ knowing that this would violate the terms of Nick Cannon’s contract with Viacom.”
The mega media company argued it suffered financial damages and “irreparable injury to its business.”
Viacom wants a judge to bar Zeus “from producing, promoting, distributing, or airing any existing or future episodes of ‘Bad vs. Wild’” and seeks unspecified damages.
Reps for Cannon and Zeus did not return messages seeking comment.
