In television, he began his career as a teenager on Nickelodeon's All That before going on to host The Nick Cannon Show, Wild 'n Out, America's Got Talent, Lip Sync Battle Shorties, and The Masked Singer.

He has also acted in the films Drumline, Love Don't Cost a Thing, Roll Bounce, and Goal II: Living the Dream.. As a recording artist, Cannon briefly saw commercial success with his 2003 single "Gigolo" (featuring R. Kelly), which peaked within the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 and led his self-titled debut studio album (2003) — his only major label release under Jive Records.

As a child, he grew up in Lincoln Park's Bay Vista Housing Projects, a gang-ridden section of Southeast San Diego.

[4][5] In 1998, he graduated from Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley, where he was president of the African Student Coalition and participated in track and field.

[7] As a teenager, Cannon was one-third of the rap group "Da G4 Dope Bomb Squad", they opened for the likes of Will Smith, LFO, 98 Degrees, and Montell Jordan.

After signing with Jive Records in 2001, he was featured alongside Romeo Miller and 3LW on the Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius soundtrack with a cover of the 1988 hit song "Parents Just Don't Understand".

[18] The track featured former record producer and convicted felon Suge Knight, as well as rappers Hitman Holla, Charlie Clips and Prince Eazy, whom Cannon referred to as "The Black Squad".

On December 11, 2009, Cannon hosted the Nickelodeon HALO Awards along with Justin Timberlake, Hayden Panettiere, LeBron James, Kelly Rowland and Alicia Keys.

The revived show was produced by Cannon's Ncredible Entertainment, the series premiered in 2013 with a few returning faces joined by a roster of fresh talents.

"[23] Rapper Big Boi of Outkast has confirmed in a tweet on Twitter he was shooting an episode on January 29, 2013, in NYC and for people to join in the audience.

[28] On February 3, 2021, Cannon tested positive for COVID-19, leading to Niecy Nash temporarily filling in for him during his quarantine during the fifth season of The Masked Singer.

[30][31][32] After taking a brief hiatus due to his controversy, the show, Nick Cannon, premiered on September 27, 2021, with the Fox Television Stations as a key group.

The resignation came in the wake of news that the network considered firing Cannon after he made disparaging remarks about NBC in his Showtime comedy special, Stand Up, Don't Shoot.

"I love art and entertainment too much to watch it be ruined by controlling corporations and big business," Cannon said in a statement, referring to the cable giant Comcast's ownership of NBC.

[42][43] On January 19, 2010, Cannon hosted the morning show (6–10AM) with co-hosts Nikki and Southern Sarah Lee at 92.3 NOW FM (WXRK-FM) in New York.

[47] In early 2011, Cannon recorded his first stand-up comedy special titled Mr. Showbiz at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

[69] In 2011, Cannon filmed a public service announcement for DoSomething encouraging teens to find a cause about which they are passionate and take action in their communities.

[72] Cannon endorsed conspiracy theories about Jewish control of finance, claimed that Jews had stolen the identity of "black people as the 'true Hebrews'", and cited Louis Farrakhan, who is labeled as an anti-Semite by the Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League.

[73][74] Cannon also made black supremacist statements, calling white people "savages" who were "closer to animals", claiming the "only way that they can act is evil",[75][76] citing the pseudoscientific melanin theory.

A statement from ViacomCBS noted that the company's relationship with Cannon was terminated due to his promotion of "hateful speech and... anti-Semitic conspiracy theories".

[79] When Fox became aware of his podcast, the network immediately consulted him and accepted his public apology, allowing him to remain host of The Masked Singer.