The Masked Singer host’s holiday joy-filled visit to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County comes two years after his son Zen died at five months old from brain cancer in December 2021.
Nick Cannon is spreading some holiday cheer, while also honoring his late son Zen.
As shown in a video shared to Instagram on Friday, The Masked Singer host dressed up as Santa Claus and visited sick kids at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County through Zen’s Light Foundation, which he and his ex Alyssa Scott created in honor of their son, who died at five months old from brain cancer in December 2021.
In the heartwarming video, Cannon, 43, who sported a head-to-toe Santa suit, brought yuletide joy to sick children at the hospital, with the actor reading books to kids, snapping photos, and giving out Christmas presents.
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“Zen’s [sic] Light shinning [sic] bright for the holidays!!” he captioned the video. “Thank you to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County and everyone who made the day so loving, warm and memorable.🙏🏾❤️.”
Cannon’s visit to the children’s hospital comes two years after Zen passed away in December 2021 after losing a battle with brain cancer.
Cannon and Scott welcomed Zen in late June 2021. A few days following the birth, the two became concerned after noticing that their “super calm” newborn was having some breathing issues.
“It sounded like he had fluid in his lungs, like a sinus infection or something,” Cannon said in a December 2021 interview with PEOPLE. “[The doctors] didn’t think it to be anything too concerning.” However, he said a few weeks later, the doctor said that Zen’s head was “growing a little two quickly.”
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And that August, when Zen was only 2 months old, Cannon and Scott received the sad news of their baby boy’s cancer diagnosis. Zen was diagnosed with a high-grade glioma, a rare form of brain cancer. Although doctors put a shunt in Zen’s skull to drain the fluid, his brain tumors unfortunately continued growing.
Cannon said Zen’s condition severely worsened over Thanksgiving weekend, describing it as the “scariest thing I’ve ever experienced.”
Zen died on December 5, 2021.
Reflecting on his son’s heartbreaking death, Cannon said, “We had a short time with a true angel. My heart is shattered. I wish I could have done more, spent more time with him, taken more pictures. I wish I could have hugged him longer.”
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“He was the most loving baby,” he added. “I look at being his father as a great privilege.”
Cannon and Scott launched the Zen’s Light Foundation in June 2022.
“We are proud to announce his new foundation that will help so many others in this world,” Cannon wrote on Instagram at the time. “‘Zen’s Light’ mission is to foster global excellence in hope, grief-care, and pediatric healthcare for families and children in need.”
Cannon has welcomed 12 kids with six different women. The Wild ‘N Out host shares 12-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, with ex-wife Mariah Carey. Cannon is also dad to sons Golden, 6, and Rise, 1, as well as daughter Powerful, 2, with Brittany Bell, son Legendary, 1, with Bre Tiesi, daughter Onyx, 1, with LaNisha Cole and three children — daughter Beautiful, 1, and 2-year-old twin boys Zion and Zillion — with Abby De La Rosa.
Last December, he welcomed his second child with Scott, a daughter named Halo, which marked his 12th overall.
