Canadian celebrities Russell Peters and Bryan Adams will replace Michael Buble as hosts of the 2017 Juno Awards next month after the Canadian crooner pulled out to care for his ill son.
Buble withdrawing from Canada’s music awards had been expected, as he has stepped down from all hosting gigs, including the recent Brit Awards, after his 3-year-old son’s cancer diagnosis. Buble and and his wife, Luisana Lopilato, first revealed their son Noah’s battle with cancer in November 2016.
Bell Media, which will broadcast the Junos on April 2 from Ottawa, confirmed Buble’s long-expected withdrawal, while paying tribute to the Canadian singer. “Our thoughts continue to be with Michael — we respect his ongoing commitment to his family and look forward to working with him again in the future,” Mike Cosentino, senior vp content and programming at Bell Media, said Thursday in a statement.
Vancouver-born Buble hosted the Junos in 2013 and has dominated the Canadian music awards with trophy wins over the years. His replacements are also well known to Canadians: Adams is a Juno and Grammy award winning pop artist, while Peters, a stand-up comedy and acting star, hosted the Junos in 2008 and 2009.
They will oversee a performance lineup at the 2017 Junos that includes Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, Sarah McLachlan, A Tribe Called Red and the Arkells. The 2017 Junos will air on the CTV network.
