I’m glad that my parents missed one thing that was really unbelievable. They saw me hit this great success. It was a blast and we had a lot of laughs. And it was just an amazing time. They passed away. And then after I got, you know, famous, all these haters came out of nowhere.

Cook contrasts two phases of public life: the intimate, affirming period when his parents were alive to witness his breakthrough, and the later stage of celebrity when criticism and resentment (“haters”) intensified. The quote frames fame as a mixed inheritance—joy and validation on one side, a sudden influx of hostility on the other. Implicitly, he suggests that early success felt communal and playful, while later notoriety brought a harsher, more impersonal scrutiny. The remark also carries an undertone of grief: he is “glad” his parents were spared the uglier aspects of fame, even as he regrets they were not present for what followed.