Nick Cannon to Host Nickelodeon’s 'Lip Sync Battle Shorties'

Nick Cannon has been tapped to host Lip Sync BattleShorties, Nickelodeon’s spinoff of the Spike TV competition series, the network said Tuesday.

Nick’s 10-episode Lip Sync Battle Shorties will debut in early 2018 and will feature kids lip-syncing pop songs in celebration of their favorite artists. Cannon will host along with social media darling JoJo Siwa, who will serve as Cannon’s “sidekick,” Nickelodeon said.

Nickelodeon premiered an hour-long Lip Sync Battle Shorties special in December 2016, which posted double- and triple-digit gains with kids and drew more than 2 million total viewers (Live+7), according to Nickelodeon. 

“With Nick Cannon at the helm, every episode of Lip Sync Battle Shorties will be an over-the-top Nickelodeon event, with real kids in the driver’s seat, battling head-to-head in the ultimate competition show,” said Bronwen O’Keefe, senior vice president, Nickelodeon Live Action and Movies, in a statement.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.