Nick Cannon Shares Why He Refused Chemotherapy For His Late Son Zen

Actor and comedian, Nick Cannon, has explained why he decided against subjecting his late son to chemotherapy. The little one, named Zen, passed on five months after his birth due to an aggressive form of brain cancer known as Glioma.

Cannon has now shared that he and the child's mother, Alyssa Scott chose not to go for chemo as it did not guarantee their son would live long. 

He also shared that the option would have given their son a poor quality of life as he would have been expected to live in the hospital.

The comedian revealed that the final days of his child's life were "tough," but luckily, he had the support of his son's mother. The pair are currently expecting a second child.

Read on to learn more.

Cannon opened up about why he and Zen's mother, Scott, opted out of putting him through chemotherapy after he was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer.

Speaking on "The Checkup with Dr. David Agus," the former "America's Got Talent" host revealed that they took the decision based on the "quality of life" they wanted their son to have as he battled with the effects of the debilitating condition.

Cannon also revealed that following through with the radiation process won't have kept their late son alive in the long run.

"They pretty much told me that best case scenario, your son could live to 3 or 4 years old," the 42-year-old recalled a conversation he had with his son's team of doctors, where he was advised about the chemotherapy option, per People.

He added, "So instantly when I heard that, I thought, quality of life. I wanted him to have the best existence he could have."

Explaining further, Cannon shared that his own experience treating lupus with some form of chemo played a part in making the decision.

"I couldn't imagine him having to go through chemo," Cannon said. "I knew how as a full grown man, that process ... My hair was falling out."

The Tv host continued, "I wouldn't even call it pain; it just sucked everything out of you. I couldn't imagine that on a newborn and what that would do."

Had Cannon and Scott taken their doctors' offer to put their son on chemo, it implied that the hospital would be Zen's new home, which did not sit well with the duo.

Instead, they wanted a scenario where they could "enjoy him" and vice versa as he lived out his final days on earth.

Although Cannon had more time to create memories, facing Zen's final days were "tough" because he knew his son's death was coming closer by the minute.

He was fortunate to have Scott's support, and the two of them were able to cope with the emotional strain of witnessing their son's gradual journey to the other side.

"I definitely couldn't have done it without her. The fact that she was the one, from every aspect, she handled it," the multi-hyphenate said, recalling how Scott's "strength" and "resilience" anchored them.

He added, "We had some beautiful moments. We had the opportunity, we knew the transition was coming. It happened a lot faster than we thought…. Luckily we did everything from the sunrise, going to the beach, the sunset, said some beautiful prayers as a family, and really came together as a family in a very beautiful way."

A few months after Zen's birth, he was diagnosed with an uncommon and deadly form of brain cancer known as high-grade Glioma.

This happened when Cannon and Scott took him to the hospital under the impression that he had Asthma, only to learn that the physicians had noticed something was wrong due to their son's unusually large head.

Zen eventually passed away in December 2021 despite having a couple of shunt treatments to relieve the fluid that had accumulated in his brain.

At the time, Cannon announced the news during the Dec. 7 episode of his axed eponymous show, where he also urged his viewers to be kinder and show more love to

He said, per E! News, "You never know what someone is going through. Hug your family. Kiss somebody. Tell them you love them."

Cannon and Scott have since conceived another child, with the latter currently in her final days of carrying the pregnancy.