On February 8, 2026, Cori Broadus — the 25-year-old daughter of hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg — appeared on her father’s YouTube series “Dogg After Dark” in what became one of the most raw and heartbreaking interviews the platform has ever hosted. Midway through the conversation, Cori collapsed into sobs as she spoke for the first time publicly about the death of her 10-month-old daughter, Kai Love Broadus, who passed away suddenly in late December 2025.
The cause — sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) — was officially confirmed by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office in early January 2026. Yet Cori’s anguish went far beyond the medical label. Through tears she repeated a single, gut-wrenching sentence over and over: “I clearly could have saved my baby… I could have saved her.”
She described the night in vivid, painful detail. Kai had been fussy earlier in the evening, running a low fever that Cori attributed to teething. She gave her daughter infant acetaminophen, rocked her to sleep, and placed her in the crib on her back, following every safe-sleep guideline she had read and been taught. Around 3 a.m., Cori woke to check on her — a habit she had developed since Kai was born prematurely at 32 weeks and spent the first month in the NICU. When she leaned over the crib, Kai was silent, still, and unresponsive. Cori screamed for her partner, performed CPR until paramedics arrived, but the baby was already gone.
“I replay that night every second of every day,” Cori said, voice breaking. “I ask myself why I didn’t keep her in bed with me. Why didn’t I stay awake? Why didn’t I notice she was breathing differently earlier? I was right there… and I still lost her.”
Snoop Dogg, seated beside her, remained mostly silent throughout the interview. When Cori broke down completely, he simply reached over, pulled her into his chest, and let her cry. His own eyes were red, his usual laid-back demeanor replaced by the quiet devastation of a grandfather who had already begun planning first-birthday parties and future family holidays with Kai. He spoke only once, voice low and cracked: “She was perfect. And she still is. We just miss her so much.”
The interview has since been viewed more than 42 million times. It has also opened a floodgate of conversation about SIDS, safe sleep practices, parental guilt, and the rarely discussed reality that even the most careful caregivers can lose a child to this cruel, unpredictable syndrome.
SIDS remains one of the leading causes of death in infants between one month and one year old in the United States. While the exact mechanism is still not fully understood, research has identified several risk factors: stomach or side sleeping, soft bedding, overheating, prenatal exposure to smoking, premature birth, and low birth weight. Kai had been born prematurely and spent weeks in intensive care, factors that statistically increase SIDS risk even when all other precautions are taken.
Cori’s account of the night Kai died aligns with what many SIDS parents describe: a seemingly healthy baby who had been slightly fussy or congested, put down safely on her back in a bare crib, and found lifeless hours later. No signs of struggle, no fever spikes, no obvious cause. The autopsy showed no infection, no trauma, no underlying congenital defect. The coroner’s conclusion was SIDS — sudden, unexplained, and irreversible.
The emotional fallout has been immense. Cori has spoken openly about the crushing guilt that follows: the endless “what-ifs,” the fear that she missed a warning sign, the second-guessing of every decision she made that night. “I read every book, followed every guideline,” she said. “I thought I was doing everything right. And it still happened.”
She has also shared how the loss has affected her relationship with her partner, her mental health, and her daily life as a mother to her two older children. “I’m terrified every night with my other babies,” she admitted. “I check on them ten times before I can sleep. I’m scared to close my eyes.”
Snoop Dogg and his wife Shante have been a constant presence since the tragedy. They moved Cori and her children into their home for several weeks so she wouldn’t be alone in the house where Kai died. Snoop has spoken publicly only sparingly, but when he has, the grief is palpable. “She was our little princess,” he said in a short statement released after the coroner’s report. “We hold her in our hearts every day.”
The family has also become advocates for SIDS awareness. Cori has partnered with the American SIDS Institute and First Candle, sharing safe-sleep checklists, encouraging back-sleeping, and urging parents to create bare cribs (no blankets, bumpers, stuffed animals, or loose items). She has stressed that SIDS can happen even when parents follow every recommendation — a truth that offers no comfort but removes blame.
The interview itself was not planned as a public confessional. Snoop had invited Cori on “Dogg After Dark” simply to spend time with her and let her speak about whatever she wanted. When the conversation turned to Kai, she asked if they could keep filming. “I want people to know this can happen to anyone,” she said. “I don’t want another mom to feel like she’s the only one carrying this pain.”
Since the episode aired, the response has been overwhelming. Support messages have poured in from across the music industry and beyond. Beyoncé, Rihanna, Cardi B, and dozens of other artists shared black-square posts with white text reading “For Kai Love” and “Forever in Our Hearts.” Parenting forums, SIDS support groups, and mental-health communities have shared Cori’s words as a reminder that guilt is a common — though unwarranted — part of the grieving process.
The family has also announced plans to establish the Kai Love Foundation, focused on SIDS research funding, safe-sleep education in underserved communities, and bereavement support for families who have lost infants. Cori has said she wants the foundation to be “something beautiful that came from something so painful.”
For now, the grief remains fresh and overwhelming. But in sharing her story — tears, guilt, love, and all — Cori Broadus has turned private devastation into public healing. She has reminded the world that even in the most privileged circles, sudden infant death can strike without warning, without reason, and without mercy.
And she has shown that sometimes the bravest thing a mother can do is say out loud what most people can only whisper: “I clearly could have saved my baby… but I couldn’t. And I’m learning to live with that truth.”
