Carpool Karaoke is usually a pretty light segment, but the internet is buzzing about a recent episode in which host James Corden and singer Michael Bublé took on an incredibly heavy topic: childhood cancer. “It’s too hard to talk about man,” Bublé told Corden when the two first touched on the topic of his 5-year-old son Noah’s cancer diagnosis at age three. “We got the diagnosis, and that was it man,” Bublé explained. “My whole life ended.” (Thankfully, Noah has since had chemotherapy and is doing well.)
Bublé goes on to explain that when he and wife Luisana Lopilato learned Noah was suffering from liver cancer he took on the role of the strong partner, trying to hold it together for the family. When Noah’s chemo journey ended, of course, Bublé was so relieved, but the stress of holding it together for so long was too much, and he couldn’t be strong anymore. “My wife, honestly, when this all started, I became the strength to somehow pull us and lift us and to be positive. And when they got [the cancer] out and the chemo was done and they said, ‘We did it, it’s good, he’s okay,’ I fell, I just fell. My wife picks me up now.” Lopilato and Bublé have had such a busy season of life in recent years—not only with Noah’s diagnosis, but also with welcoming his brother Elias two years ago and baby Vida this year —and they are doing it together.
​Having a sick child is one of the hardest experiences anyone can ever go through (and it is definitely hard on a marriage) but they’re helping each other through. Their story is a reminder that strength doesn’t have to be one person’s job in a relationship—we can take turns being the strong one at different times. Bublé was strong when his family needed him, and now, like Noah, he just needs some time to recover that strength.

You might also like: