Jamie Foxx's Replacement Revealed for 'Beat Shazam' Amid His Hospitalization
Jamie Foxx is still recovering from an unknown medical complication he suffered last month, leaving Fox network to find a replacement for the upcoming sixth season of Beat Shazam. The Masked Singer host Nick Cannon will step in for the Oscar winner. Cannon is close friends with Foxx and was among the many celebrities to wish him the best amid his hospitalization.
Cannon will host the new season of Beat Shazam, which is filmed in Ireland, reports Deadline. The season debuts on Tuesday, May 23. The interactive game show was created by Jeff Apploff and Wes Kauble. Teams of two are pitted against each other to identify hit songs before they have to compete against the Shazam app for a chance to win $1 million.
"Beat Shazam has been an unscripted mainstay on the Fox schedule for six seasons and counting," Fox said in a statement Wednesday. "This season, not wanting fans of the game show to miss a minute of the fun, Nick Cannon has offered to fill in as guest host for his friends, Jamie and Corinne Foxx. Kelly Osbourne will be filling in as guest DJ. Everyone at Fox Entertainment wishes Jamie well as he continues his recovery and we greatly appreciate Nick's willingness to jump in and help this summer."
Moments after Fox made the announcement, Foxx took to Instagram to thank Cannon for stepping up. "Appreciate ya, my boy," he wrote. "See u all soon." Foxx also published a message thanking fans for their support. "Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed," he wrote.
It's possible that hosting Beat Shazam was the "something special" Cannon hinted at in an April 23 interview with Entertainment Tonight. "I can't really say what it is, but it'll be out there soon," Cannon said. "I was reluctant to go all the way there, and even talk about it, but he gave me the blessing, so it's a beautiful thing. He's awake. They say he's alert, so, we love it."
Foxx is still in the hospital, his friend Charles Alston wrote on Instagram on May 1. "Oh Allah I come before you yet once again humbly asking please heal & restore our brotha [Foxx] stronger & better than before," Alston wrote in part. "I have absolutely no shame in asking pleading & begging for your merciful healing powers over our brotha now in your time not ours for [a] miracle."
Foxx was hospitalized on April 11 in Georgia, where he was filming the Netflix movie Back in Action. His daughter, Corinne Foxx, told fans her father was recovering from "medical complications," but did not share further detail. "Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery. We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time," she wrote in a since-deleted statement.