Kel Mitchell opened up about why it was ‘important’ to him to reach out and support his friend Nick Cannon following the tragic death of his son, Zen.
Nick Cannon has openly praised his friendships with Kel Mitchell and Kenan Thompson, crediting their kindness and partnership for helping his young career. Now, almost 25 years later, Nick and Kel have continued their friendship and help each other through the toughest of times in their adult lives. In December, Nick suffered the loss of his 5-month-old son Zen to cancer, and Kel spoke to HollywoodLife.com about how he supported his friend, and continues to, through the tragedy. “I reached out, and it was very important for me to do that. I just hit him up, and I just wanted to show him love during that time and have him just know I’m here for him,” Kel said on the HollywoodLife Podcast.
He continued, “[Nick] hit me back and what was really deep was, it was the day after he made the announcement, just to see how strong he was throughout it. It was very, very deep, and for him to still keep his joy through it all, while dealing with something like that, that’s so hard.” Kel added that he “just wants to give Nick a hug,” which has been difficult on opposite coasts and the talk show host’s busy schedule. “Until then, I just want to show my love to them.”
In November 2021, Nick took the opportunity to praise Kel on his daytime talk show, revealing that he was once the audience warm-up and writer on All That after being discovered while doing stand-up in Los Angeles at 16 years old. “You and Kenan gave me the opportunity to write episodes and stuff. I was the audience warm-up, just like Chad over there,” he recalled. “At 16, I would drive up in my mama’s old car. Kel would let me sleep in his apartment sometimes and hang out.”
Nick Cannon & Kel Mitchell. (Shutterstock)
Nick continued his praise, telling the Kenan & Kel star directly, “You and Kenan just opened your doors to me and really saw me as family, man. If I haven’t said thank you enough, I’ll say it again, you inspired a generation man, all of these kids on TikTok…you guys created comedy for young people.”
Kel also dished to HL that he and Kenan are still in touch, adding that their moms are “best friends,” so they’re “always talking and staying in contact.” Most recently, the comedian turned pastor released a new book called Blessed Mode, which shares the spiritual side of the star. “I wanted to let people know that they are beautifully and wonderfully made by God, that they can go out and have peace and kindness for their day, and this book is really a jumpstart to their day,” he said on the podcast. “What this book is all about is saying, ‘I’m going to have gratitude for this day, I’m going to have kindness for this day, I’m going to prepare for my day, just like I prepare for everything else.’
Kel Mitchell. (Shutterstock)
“I works on your mental health, your physical health, and also your spiritual health. It is something that I do every morning, where I just keep everybody in prayer. I take all my anxiety or whatever I’m going through, and I take it to God first.” Blessed Mode is available for purchase now at all book retailers.
Listen to the full HollywoodLife Podcast with Kel Mitchell here!
