Nick Cannon has reflected on his “careless” choice to have 12 children, explaining that through therapy he has unpacked what led him to father so many children.
The 44-year-old spoke about his family on US radio show The Breakfast Club.
“It wasn’t like I was acting out. It was more of being careless, being frivolous with my process because I could do it, because I had the money [and] because I had the access to whoever and however I wanted to move,” he said.
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“Then, obviously, life happens as well, so it wasn’t like ‘Oh, I’m gonna go have 12 kids.’ It was more about like, ‘Yo, I’m gonna just live life and have fun and whatever happens happens. I can handle it.'”
He said now that he’s almost 45, he can sit back and realise he should have “thought the process through a little bit more and took time to actually do the inner work”.
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“Things might have been a little different in certain scenarios,” he said.
Cannon also spoke about having been diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the impact that has had on his choices, saying he used to “feed off” toxicity and always have the goal of “being right”.
Now that he has spent time in therapy, he can see why this didn’t serve him in the way it wanted him too.
Regardless of his recent insights, Cannon has no regrets over any of his children.
“I don’t know … because I’ve always said this, every child that I had was made out of love and there were strong relationships,” he explained.
“If I would have did the work [and] the healing after getting divorced, I probably would have took my time in a lot other scenarios and for whatever reason I thought that was the answer a lot of times, like ‘Oh, I’m gonna figure it out over here.’
“Now, you’re leaving trauma every step of the way instead of fixing it from its origin.”
Cannon is father to twins Moroccan and Monroe, 14, with his ex-wife Mariah Carey.
He said when they were younger they would ask their parents to get married again but now that they are older “they get it” and accept the family structure that they have.
He is also father to sons Golden Sagon, eight, and Rise Messiah, two, as well as daughter Powerful Queen, four, with Brittany Bell.
Cannon’s twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, eight, as well as daughter Beautiful Zeppelin, two, are from his relationship with Abbey De La Rosa.
Son Legendary Love, three, is from his time with Bre Tiesi.
Cannon’s daughter Onyx Ice Cole, two, is from his relationship with LaNisha Cole.
He also has two children with Alyssa Scott. Son Zen, who died at five months of age in 2021 due to brain cancer, and daughter Halo Marie, two.
Cannon began his career on Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy children’s show All That and has hosted several TV shows since including America’s Got Talent and The Masked Singer in the US.
He has also acted in films and released music including the song Gigolo in 2003. Cannon has also worked as a comedian and hosted radio shows.
When it comes to his unconventional family, Cannon says he’s “just in a space where he wants everyone to be healthy and happy” and that includes the mothers of his children entering new relationships.
“Especially if its for the betterment of our child,” he said.
“I see that as help in that sense because you want the mother to be in the most healed and healthy space that she can be in and whatever gets you there, that’s what it should be.”
Although he added that he does struggle with “ego”.
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Cannon, on the other hand, doesn’t currently practice monogamy.
He is still reportedly in a relationship with model and Selling Sunset star Tiesi, however Tiesi has described theirs as an open relationship.
“Me and my partner have been on and off for years,” Tiesi said in December 2024 on the podcast Wednesdays.
“Basically, he has other partners, and we’re just open and happy and that’s our thing.”
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She added: “I’m not a jealous person, I don’t care about, I don’t want a conventional relationship, I don’t want a full live-in person I’m responsible for, I’m responsible for my child.
“I feel like this is probably, which is so crazy, is like the healthiest relationship I’ve ever had.
“We never fight, we never have any toxicity, we don’t argue, like nothing. And he’s the best dad and he’s so present, I’ve never asked this man to do something and he doesn’t do it.”
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