Nick Cannon is continuing to open up about the death of his 5-month-old son, Zen, from a malignant brain tumor. During a visit to the Today show on Thursday, Dec. 15, the performer shared how he’s coping with the loss.
The Masked Singer host told Hoda Kotb that he’s been taking things “five minutes at a time” since his little boy — whom he shares with Alyssa Scott — died. “I’m optimistic in finding the purpose through all of the pain,” he shared. “I’m attempting to smile, I’m attempting to be the high-frequency individual that I’ve set out to be. Along the way, there’s definitely some curves in the journey.”
Cannon also said that when he first learned about Zen’s diagnosis, he prayed for miracles — but perhaps not the kind people may think. “Coming from a faith-based background, it’s not for the miracle to do something that’s unknown to us, but it’s really for the things that we can find comfort in,” he explained. “So I ask for the miracle of strength to be able to be here today. And I find that peace that surpasses all understanding.”
He also explained that the diagnosis of a brain tumor surprised him because he initially believed his symptoms were consistent with a sinus issue, or perhaps was related to the pandemic. “It was really a shock because he was vibrant and really calm, but had a light to him. We had no idea. I thought maybe he had a minor sinus problem, and that had nothing to do with it,” said the performer. “We were taking him in to make sure he didn’t have anything going on, or there were possibly fears of COVID, and then to get this news was shocking to our entire family.”
As for his decision to publicly announce the news of Zen’s passing on The Nick Cannon Show Dec. 7, the host revealed that it was incredibly difficult thing for him to share despite being comfortable with talking to people every day on his show. “This was probably the most delicate and precious thing I’ve ever had to talk about, and I didn’t know how to talk about it,” he said. “I never imagined having to be in this scenario. As much as it was such an outpouring of love, there was a lot of fear, there was obviously some hurt.”
In addition to Zen, Cannon is also the father to twins Monroe and Moroccan with ex-wife Mariah Carey, son Golden and daughter Powerful Queen with Brittany Belland, and twin boys Zion and Zillion with Abby de la Rosa.
Watch Cannon’s interview on Today below.
