Words of wisdom! Nick Cannon has spoken fondly of fatherhood since becoming a parent in 2011.
The Masked Singer host and Mariah Carey welcomed their twins in April of that year, naming the little ones Moroccan and Monroe.
“The thing with twins is that you want them in their natural incubator as long as possible,” the California native told the Los Angeles Times at the time. “They might be ready to come out, but we need them to stay in for a while.”
The Grammy winner’s pregnancy was an “emotional journey,” Cannon exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2010, referencing their struggles to conceive following a previous miscarriage. “We still cry all the time,” the Wild ’n Out host said.
Since Cannon’s 2014 separation from the “Always Be My Baby” singer, the former couple have been amicably coparenting their son and daughter.
“We will always be family and we make it work,” Carey wrote in her September 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. “We still have fun, reminisce, and joke. And we are both certain that Roc and Roe are indeed our light. Every day they give us new life.”
Cannon went on to welcome son Golden and daughter Powerful with Brittany Bell in February 2017 and December 2020, respectively. In June 2021, three more of the actor’s babies arrived — twins Zion and Zillion with Abby De La Rosa and Zen with Alyssa Scott.
When announcing her pregnancy in January 2021, De La Rosa told her Instagram followers about her “unconventional” relationship with the All That alum.
“In 2020, the man who is now my children’s father and I reconnected,” the DJ wrote at the time “Never would I have ever envisioned where we are at now. This isn’t a bs ‘love’ story, it’s a REAL story. His openness and honesty won my heart but above anything, he is my dearest friend and my partner [in] this world of mine. He changed my life … inspiring me to open my mind to the unknown when it came to loving outside of ‘labels’ and ‘ownership.’”
One month after Zion, Zillion and Zen were born, Cannon proudly shared Instagram Story photos of his “gang,” including sweet shots of Monroe holding Powerful.
Zen died of a brain tumor in December 2021, and Scott was “amazing” during the tragedy, Cannon said on the Nick Cannon Show. “We never had an argument,” he gushed. “She was emotional when she needed to be but always was the best mom and continues to be the best mom [to her daughter].”
Cannon’s brood has continued to grow — three months in a row. The comedian and Bre Tiesi welcomed their first child, son Legendary, in July 2022. One month later, Cannon announced that Bell is pregnant with the pair’s third child. In September, he and LaNisha Cole welcomed their first child together, daughter Onyx Ice Cole Cannon — his ninth little one. Cannon and Bell welcomed third child Rise in September 2022, nearly one month before he welcomed Beautiful with De La Rosa.
Keep scrolling to see the former Nickelodeon star’s best quotes about parenting over the years, from coparenting with Carey to setting strict rules.
December 2022
“Being a father of multiple kids, it’s always the biggest guilt on me is that I don’t get to spend enough time with all my children,” Cannon admitted during an appearance on The Checkup with Dr. David Agus. “One ’cause I’m constantly working and two because I’m just spread thin.”
November 2022
Cannon shared a popular meme about himself via Instagram that imagined “what Americans will look like in 2050.” The accompanying photo showed a bunch of people with Cannon’s face and different haircuts. “Wow! Everybody got jokes! ?,” the TV host quipped.
September 2022
After Cannon and Bell welcomed their third child, his 10th, the actor opened up about what fatherhood means to him.
“Another Blessing!!! As my journey on this planet becomes more and more remarkable and unfathomable, all I can do is thank God and continue to ask the Most High to order my steps,” he wrote via Instagram, revealing their son’s name is Rise Messiah. “He has given me stewardship and dominion over a family dynamic that to some is unimaginable. But more importantly he has blessed me with loving individuals to guide me with care through this purposeful life. I am so indebted and grateful for the matriarch energy in my time of need.”
September 2022
“I vow to protect, provide, guide and love this child to the best of my abilities,” Cannon shared via Instagram while announcing Onyx’s birth. “I promise to love this little girl with all my heart … I’ve given up on attempting to define myself for the world or society but instead I’m doing the work to heal and grow into the infinite Being God ordained me to be. Hopefully I can teach Onyx the same, to not let others shame or ridicule her with their outside opinions, because when they do they are only projecting their own harsh experiences, pain and social programming onto her unblemished beauty.”
July 2022
“LEGENDARY LOVE CANNON!!!! Y’all gonna need a wide screen for this name!!!” the comedian shared via Instagram alongside a photo of him and Tiesi, who was holding the baby in her arms while giant silver balloons bearing their newborn son’s moniker hung in the background. “So grateful to God The Most High Elohim YAWEH for a Healthy, Happy and Harmonious Spirit having a Human Experience!! ❤️??.”
June 2022
In an interview with Men’s Health, Cannon defended himself from critics who question his abilities as a father. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m probably engaged throughout my children’s day, more often than the average adult can be,” he told the outlet. “If I’m not physically in the same city with my kids, I’m talking to them before they go to school via FaceTime and stuff. And then when I am [in the same city, I’m] driving my kids to school, like, making sure I pick ’em up. All of those things, making sure [I’m there for] all extracurricular activities. I’m involved in everything from coaching to having guitar lessons with my daughter every week.”
March 2022
“Father’s Day is about to be exciting,” Cannon said during a WFAN interview, joking that “every other day is expensive.” As for welcoming a ninth child, the All That alum said, “I don’t know. We should take a bet. Right now, I’m good. Never say never.”
February 2022
Cannon clarified in a “The Language of Love” podcast episode that, in a way, his babies have all been “planned.” The actor explained, “Any woman that I know that I have unprotected sex with, there’s the potential to have a child. So I feel like if I have unprotected sex with anyone I know – because one, I value everything about me so much, if I’ve gotten to that point where I say, ‘I can take off this condom,’ I’m gonna say, ‘She could be the mother of my child.’ Every woman that I have a child with, there is definitely a conversation about, ‘Wow, how amazing would this be?’ I feel like every woman I have a child with are amazing mothers, and there was a thought process going into like, ‘Man, she would be an amazing mother. She’s desired children. I can’t wait to see what type of mother she would be.’”
February 2022
“There’s this heavy, heavy guilt with the fact [that] I didn’t get to spend time like I really wanted to with Zen, that I have other children even in a similar age,” Cannon told his talk show audience of Zion and Zillion. “And it’s like, ‘OK, I’m guilty that I’m not there every day. I’m guilty that the mothers of my children yearn for more and I can only give them so much.’ … I walk around with a backpack full of guilt. But at least I know the harder that I work, then it makes the guilt easier to deal with.”
February 2022
Cannon told his talk show audience that he was “still grieving [Zen] each and every day,” saying, “We still deal with that. … We lost a child. It was a sincere and still is a sincere and real situation. I love her, and I love my son, Zen, and always will.”
January 2022
While confirming that he and model Bre Tiesi are expecting their first child together, the actor told his Nick Cannon Show audience that they are in a “great space” ahead of the little one’s arrival, noting that there isn’t any “competition” among his many children.
January 2022
“Still missing my little dude,” Cannon captioned a throwback family photo with Zen and some of his siblings in January 2022. “The whole family, We ALL miss you young King! Forever Our Angel!”
December 2021
Charity work in hospitals took on a whole new meaning for Cannon after Zen’s death, he told his talk show audience, explaining, “I have a different connection with [parents] now. I could never imagine having a child that has to go through that and be hospitalized, but now I am that father. I’m in that fight with you and I’m walking with you and I’m going to continue to walk with anyone who is dealing with having to either lose a child or having a child with any type of medical complications or any special needs. I’m here for you.”
December 2021
Cannon told Today show cohosts that he is taking every day “five minutes at a time” after Zen’s death, explaining, “I’m optimistic in finding the purpose through all of the pain, so I’m attempting to smile, I’m attempting to be the high-frequency individual that I’ve set out to be, but along the way there’s definitely some curves in the journey.”
December 2021
While announcing Zen’s passing in a December 2021 episode of his talk show, Cannon called him “the most loving” baby. He gushed, “We called him Z Chilling. He was always smiling. He had the most beautiful spirit.”
December 2021
Cannon joked about a “new baby mama” when an audience member stood up during an episode of his show. “Why you standing up?” he asked. “You’re scaring me. … Owe me some money? I owe you some money? Either way, we’re having so much fun.”
November 2021
“I don’t know how I’ll feel in five years,” Cannon told Dr. Oz on an episode of his talk show when asked about having more kids. “When people say, ‘Are you going to have more kids?’ that’s a difficult question to ask unless I did have something like a vasectomy. Because I don’t know if I’m going to find love again. I don’t know how deep I’ll go again. I don’t know. You never understand what the universe is going to present to you.”
November 2021
Cannon’s daughters “control” him, he told Don Johnson during an episode of his talk show, explaining, “[I’m] wrapped around their fingers. My boys … they’re fun. We can wrestle. Soon as my daughter comes into the room, I’m a different human being.”
November 2021
Cannon shared his “biggest insecurities and biggest fears in parenting” with Entertainment Tonight, saying it’s “giving too much energy elsewhere and not to my children.” He explained, “When I can cut out a certain aspect of my lifestyle and focus on children and work, it makes it a lot easier. I’ve done [celibacy] before, just to show that I’m not controlled by an emotion, I’m not addicted to certain things. Sometimes, you just gotta take a break because you know too much of anything can ruin the process.”
November 2021
Cannon told Andy Cohen on The Nick Cannon Show that his “favorite baby mama” is his “next one.”
November 2021
“I’m trying to be responsible,” Cannon told Extra of his celibacy journey. “I’m trying to lead by example because I am a father of many. I gotta show self-preservation, self-control, discipline. It’s those aspects. I’ve done it before. I think the longest I’ve ever gone is probably a year and a half. I was in church every day!”
October 2021
Cannon told Dr. Laura Berman in October 2021 that he wanted to be a “father first and foremost,” noting that celibacy was helping him prioritize his kids. “I’m there, and I’m focused,” he explained during an episode of The Nick Cannon Show. “Right now, my celibacy clock is ticking.”
October 2021
“I’m celibate right now,” Cannon said during a “Drinks Champs” interview. “I’m going to see if I could make it to 2022.”
September 2021
Cannon’s children make him “more creative,” he told Us and other reporters during a Zoom call promoting his Nick Cannon talk show. “I’m learning from them daily. As we all know, I have a wide range of personalities of young kids that I get to tap into. I get to vicariously live through them on a daily basis.”
September 2021
While Cannon told Entertainment Tonight that his therapist wanted him to be “celibate,” he said, “You can’t be like, ‘No I’m done.’ Like, what if God says, ‘No you[‘re] not.’”
September 2021
“God willing,” Cannon told TMZ of having more kids. “If God sees it that way, then that’s what I’m gonna keep doing.”
August 2021
“I’m a dad to a whole bunch of motherf–kers,” Cannon joked during a Hart to Heart episode. When Kevin Hart asked the “Gigolo” rapper how many children he has, Cannon replied, “I don’t know that. You’re gonna put me on the spot? It’s like Spades, I got eight and a possible nine. I like children, damn it!”
August 2021
Cannon explained during a Breakfast Club appearance that having seven children with different women wasn’t his “decision,” saying, “Those women, all women, are the ones that open themselves up and say ‘I would like to allow this man in my world. And I will birth this child.’ … I’m following suit.”
July 2021
When told to “wrap it up” after his seventh child’s arrival during an episode of his Power 106 show, Cannon clapped back, “I’m having these kids on purpose. I didn’t have no accident. [There were] a lot of people that I could’ve gotten pregnant that I didn’t. You only live once.”
June 2020
“My children fear the police,” the rapper told Access. “I try to teach fearlessness. I try to teach, ‘You have a power within you that you need to fear nothing.’ But when they see the energy of law enforcement [it’s like], ‘Uh oh, here comes the police.’ … That’s why I say we gotta rethink and restructure what law enforcement is, specifically in our communities. I’m ready to put my life on the line for this, because there’s nothing more important to my community, nothing more important to my family, nothing more important to me, than to evoke a change in a real way.”
April 2019
“We got our egos and this selfish behavior [but] when you put your children first, you understand that it’s all unconditional love. All that other stuff just falls apart,” the former America’s Got Talent judge exclusively told Us Weekly of raising kids with Carey. “I always want what’s best for my children.”
June 2018
Cannon exclusively told Us that his children are “definitely entertainers,” explaining, “They’ve got a lot of energy and great personalities. They are very intelligent, warm and loving, so I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
February 2018
The Drumline star gushed about his “genius” son Moroccan, exclusively telling Us, “My son, his reading level is fourth grade and he’s just 6 years old.”
March 2013
“We [make] sure they’re asleep by eight,” Cannon exclusively told Us. “They’re tough to put to bed so we’ve got to tire them out! But luckily they usually sleep through the night.” He noted that while Moroccan could date at age 3, Monroe “never” could.
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