Nick Cannon Declares Fatherhood of 12 His 'Destiny,' Reflects on Trauma's Role

Nick Cannon, the television personality and entertainer, has described his role as a father to 12 children as his "destiny," stating that he spoke this outcome into existence years ago. In a recent interview with Us Weekly, Cannon, 45, shared that his upbringing in a large, unconventional family, influenced by his grandparents and foster mother, contributed to his desire for many children.

"I come from a big, nontraditional, unorthodox family," Cannon explained. "My parents were teenagers when they had me, so my grandparents had a lot of influence on me. My grandmother was a foster mother, so I had hundreds of foster brothers and sisters growing up and learned how to take care of babies. It was always in me. I’m also a big kid at heart. It’s definitely part of my destiny."

Cannon has not had a new child since December 14, 2022, with the birth of Halo Marie Cannon. When asked about plans for more children, he responded with a laugh, "Right now, 12 is good." He emphasized his commitment to his current children's activities, contrasting it with his own childhood as a "latchkey kid" who often lacked parental presence at events. "I don’t remember my dad or mom being at my recitals. My mom was working three jobs and my dad lived across the country. So I take that stuff very seriously."

Cannon's children include twins Moroccan and Monroe with ex-wife Mariah Carey, three children with Brittany Bell, three with Abby De La Rosa, a son with Bre Tiesi, a daughter with LaNisha Cole, and two children with Alyssa Scott, including a son who died in December 2021. Cannon discussed managing relationships with the mothers of his children, stating they operate as a unit but are compartmentalized. He noted, "I wouldn’t say jealousy. Everybody advocates for themselves in their household and for their children. One of the toughest challenges is you want to give everybody your all, but as the famous quote goes, 'You can’t please all the people all the time.' I’m learning that balance."

Regarding marriage, Cannon expressed a disinclination for legal paperwork, stating, "I don’t like the government in my love life. I think the institution of marriage should be respected, but I can’t see myself going through the legal paperwork again." He also addressed rumors about his relationship with Mariah Carey, clarifying they speak regularly about their children and find the reports of estrangement amusing. "We were laughing about [reports we’re not close]. I was like, 'Who is telling people that?' On the flip side, I’ve heard we’re getting back together. I’ll deliver the truth with the doc. I’m always open [to that]. Our divorce wasn’t messy. We were able to move on and be the best parents we can."

Cannon has previously linked his journey to fathering 12 children to unresolved pain and a lack of self-reflection following his 2016 divorce from Carey. In an interview on The Breakfast Club in September 2025, he explained that his choices "started from a place of pain" and were a result of not healing properly. He acknowledged that while life happens, his approach was "being careless, being frivolous with my process because I could do it, because I had the money, because I had the access to whoever and however I wanted to move."

Cannon admitted he wasn't mature enough at the time for more intentional planning, stating, "It was more about like, 'Yo, I'm gonna just live life and have fun and whatever happens, happens. I can handle it.'" He is now in therapy and reflecting on his journey. "Being almost 45 now, I could sit back and like, yeah, if I would have thought the process through a little bit more and took time to actually do the inner work. Things might have been a little different in certain scenarios." Despite this reflection, he maintained, "I've always said this, every child that I had was made out of love and they were strong relationships."