Nick Cannon says he feels ‘guilty’ for not spending enough time with late son Zen
Presenter has been grieving his five-month-old son after his death in December
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Nick Cannon has admitted to feeling guilty that he didn’t spend as much time with his son Zen before his death.
The presenter welcomed Zen, his seventh child, in June with model Alyssa Scott. Sadly, the baby was diagnosed with a brain tumour and died in December 2021 at five months old.
Cannon featured a clip of a podcast conversation with Dr Laura Berman on his talk show. In it, he discussed his grief and his feelings of regret that he wasn’t available to spend more time with his child.
“One thing that keeps me up at night, there’s this heavy, heavy guilt with the fact that that I didn’t get to spend time – like I really wanted to – with Zen,” he said.
The Wild ‘N Out host is expecting his eighth child later this year. Along with his 10-year-old twins with ex-wife Mariah Carey, he also has four-year-old son Golden and one-year-old daughter Powerful Queen with Brittany Bell, and twin sons Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir with DJ Abby de la Rosa.
Having children of “similar ages” but living apart from them and having a busy career has added to his feelings of stress, he said. He admitted to feeling “guilty that I’m not there every day.”
Cannon explained: “Those children yearn for more and I can only give so much.
“I walk around with a backpack full of guilt, but at least I know that the harder that I work, it makes the guilt easier to deal with.”
When asked to identify the moments when he’s feeling guiltiest, he said: “[when I’m] not working and I’m spending time with a young lady. I’m like, ‘I’ve got a house full of kids.’”
Elsewhere in the discussion, Cannon referred to his relationship with Carey, sharing that he and the “We Belong Together” singer work well as co-parents despite no longer being romantically linked.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
On Valentine’s Day (Monday 14 February), Cannon released a new single called “Alone”, which samples an early Mariah Carey track. Fans have speculated whether the song is a plea from Cannon to reconcile their marriage.
Though he has not yet commented on the rumours, he stated in the podcast interview that he and Carey are “really great friends”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments