It was just a couple of days ago that Nick Cannon surprised his many viewers by beginning his talk show by talking about his 5-month-old son, Zen Scott Cannon, and announcing the very sad news that his youngest child had died over the weekend after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. And, just a day later, Cannon began his show by thanking his fans for being so supportive after he revealed the news about his son's death.
When Nick Cannon first opened up about Zen, he also thanked the many medical professionals who tried to help his son, as well as all of the family and friends who'd been there for him and his son's mother, Alyssa Scott, as they went through their ordeal. Now, Cannon stood before the audience of his new syndicated talk show, and said a public thanks to all of the fans who've come out to support him, and said:
People keep asking me how I'm doing. I say, 'I'm vertical. I'm standing.' And that's a good start. . . . I'm gonna be honest y'all. Yesterday was a little easier than today. Because yesterday I was so laser-focused, and then even numb, you know what I mean? So I knew I just had to get it done. Today, I'm a little torn, I'm a little confused. Because it's a hurting thing. I'm grieving. I feel guilty on so many levels. I never wanted to exploit this. I kept it private for so long since I found out about Zen's diagnosis, out of respect to his mother, Alyssa, and to everyone in our family. And so yesterday, the onslaught of, really, love and care, it's brand new to me, so I'm dealing with it. So thank you. Thank you. That's all I can say.
In his original message to his audience, Cannon already admitted that he was a bit unsure about what he should do about his show after his son died. They knew that Zen's time was coming to a close, and after spending several hours with him on Sunday, Cannon was prepared to head back to New York from California, as he has every Sunday while working on The Nick Cannon Show, so that he could prepare another week of episodes.
But, Cannon turned around before arriving at the airport, and was then able to watch a sunset with Zen one last time. He added that he didn't want to make his son's death "about any pageantry," but ended up returning to work quickly and sharing what happened because he had "faith" and "God's strength," and knew he'd be able to get through his pain eventually, while staying "vulnerable" and "open" for those that watch.
With Cannon admitting that he was "laser-focused" and "numb" that first day back on set, it makes complete sense that he'd be feeling "confused" and even "guilty" about returning to work so soon after his son's passing. Especially because such a move, combined with talking so openly about what happened immediately after, could be seen (as Cannon noted) as him exploiting his son's illness and death.
That's why having such an outpouring of "love and care" from fans has meant so much to Cannon, even as he tries to process all that's gone on, how he's handled it so far, and how he'll need to continue his grieving process so that he can heal in the best way possible.
As he's frequently been on the receiving end of negative comments and been the butt of jokes because of his large family lately, though, Nick Cannon did say that the positive attention is a very different feeling for him:
But it's new. I'm not used to all this hugging and, 'You okay?' I'm fine! But of course, everyone knows I'm not fine, but you guys are making me feel better, so thank you.
It's clear that Nick Cannon (and his family) will have a long road ahead when it comes to dealing with Zen's death, but we can all be thankful, at least, that sharing his story on his show seems to be helping him. You can take a look at what else he had to say, below:
The Nick Cannon Show airs Monday through Friday, so be sure to check your local listings for the time and channel. If you'd like more to watch, see what else has premiered recently with our 2021 fall TV schedule.
