Nick Cannon, comedian and host of “The Masked Singer,” has tested positive for COVID-19, his team announced Thursday. Despite the health scare, a bit of good news was reported for the “Wild ‘N Out” creator on Thursday as well.
The 40-year-old television personality has to take a hiatus from his hosting gig on the Fox reality competition while he quarantines and recovers from the virus. Cannon’s rep Stephen Elmore confirmed the report to USA TODAY.
Cannon is expected to return to his hosting duties later in the season. Until then, Niecy Nash will fill in as host for Cannon during the fifth season of “The Masked Singer,” which is scheduled to premiere in March. Production on the show, which is set to feature “more legends, bigger spectacle, crazier surprises,” was slated to begin Thursday.
Nash previously served as a guest panelist on the show last season, which crowned LeAnn Rimes as champion in December. The celebrity musical show gives panelists Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke the chance to guess the celebrity behind elaborate costumes. It ended Season 4 in December as the No. 1 entertainment series, tied with NBC’s “This Is Us,” according to Variety.
In a bit of positive news for the “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” star, ViacomCBS announced it opted to reestablish its relationship with Cannon, Variety reported. The company had severed ties with the showrunner, who brought “Wild ‘N Out” to MTV in 2005, after he made some anti-Semitic comments last summer. The media conglomerate revealed Cannon had apologized and connected with Jewish leaders after making the remarks.
“Nick has not only apologized and taken responsibility for his comments, but he has also worked to educate himself and others through engagement with Jewish leaders and on his platforms,” an MTV Entertainment Group spokesperson told the publication. “Those efforts are of the utmost importance, and that’s why we have invited him to rejoin our team. On a separate note, we just learned that he tested positive for COVID and have reached out to wish him a speedy recovery.”
Production on new episodes of Cannon’s comedy series is expected to resume soon. Old episodes of “Wild ‘N Out” are returning to VH1’s linear schedule this week.
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