Nick Cannon is famous for numerous music, acting, comedy and hosting projects, but in recent years, he may have become best-known for being a dad — to not one, not two, but 12 kids and counting.
The Masked Singer ringleader first became a parent during his former marriage to Mariah Carey, with whom he welcomed twins Moroccan and Monroe in 2011. A few years after the couple separated in 2014, Cannon became a father again to a son named Golden Sagon, whom pageant star and podcaster Brittany Bell delivered in 2017. Three years after that, the Drumline star and Bell welcomed another child, daughter Powerful Queen.
In 2021, more kids came into the mix with twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, Cannon’s sons with DJ and radio personality Abby De La Rosa. That same year, he welcomed a son named Zen with model Alyssa Scott; tragically, the little boy died of brain cancer when he was just a few months old.
The following year proved to be Cannon’s most fertile yet, with the Wild n’ Out comedian welcome five babies in the span of about six months. First came son Legendary Love with Selling Sunset star Bre Tiesi, followed by daughter Onyx Ice with model LaNisha Cole, son Rise Messiah with Bell, daughter Beautiful Zeppelin with De La Rosa and daughter Halo Marie with Scott.
All of this to say, Cannon is a very busy — and probably very tired — man. Throughout his fatherhood journey, however, the star has both maintained a good sense of humor about the situation while remaining open about his plans (or lack thereof) to grow his family even more.
From jokes about vasectomies to remarks about the joys of fatherhood, keep reading to see everything Cannon has said about his many kiddos, and whether he wants to have more, below.
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July 2021: Cannon says he had four babies in a year “on purpose”
On his radio show, Cannon said that Babies 4-7 were totally intentional. “I’m like a seahorse out here with how I’m procreating,” he said in July 2021. “I’m having these kids on purpose. It ain’t no accident!”
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October 2021: Cannon makes short-lived celibacy pledge
In October 2021, Cannon — a few months after the birth of his seventh child — said that he was planning to abstain from sex for the foreseeable future. “I’m celibate right now,” he said on Revolt’s Drink Champs. “I’m going to see if I could make it to 2022. I’m trying to chill out. I’m kind of stepping away, getting focused, going within, getting my celibacy on. I have enough children, enough frolicking, I’m good right now.”
That didn’t last long. Legendary Love would come along eight months later, followed by four more babies in 2022.
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May 2022: Cannon gets a vasectomy consultation
Prior to having four more children in 2022, then-father-of-seven Cannon revealed that he was thinking about getting snipped. “I already went and got my vasectomy consultation,” he told E! News at the time. “I ain’t looking to populate the Earth completely, but I’m definitely looking forward to taking care and loving all the children that I currently have.”
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June 2022: Cannon rejects “what society deems is right”
In an interview with Men’s Health, Cannon got candid about his unorthodox family setup. “It’s not about what society deems is right,” he said. “It’s like, what makes it right for you? What brings your happiness? What allows you to have joy and how you define family? We all define family in so many different ways.”
“People even often ask, ‘Are you gonna have more? You gonna stop?’” he continued. “I’m like, those are questions that I don’t really even sit around and think about. I’m just walking in my purpose and trying to be the best father and best provider I could possibly be.”
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November 2022: Cannon has “no idea” whether he’ll have more kids
While speaking to Billboard at the R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players event, Cannon couldn’t say whether or not he was done procreating. “I don’t know, man,” he said on the matter. “I have no idea. I think I’m good right now!”
The comedian also emphasized that his kids are his “number one priority, obviously,” adding, “I wake up being a father thinking about my kids and everything else comes after that.”
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February 2023: Cannon says he may still be having kids at 85
When Entertainment Tonight checked in with Cannon about his plans for future babies, the comedian said that it ultimately wasn’t up to him. “God decides when we’re done,” he told the outlet.
“But I believe I definitely got my hands full,” he added. “I’m so focused. I’m locked in. But when I’m 85, you never know. I might.”
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April 2023: Cannon confirms he uses birth control
On the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast, Cannon confirmed that he does in fact use birth control with his partners — he’s just often thwarted by his “super sperm.”
“I’m gonna be honest, I got some super sperm or something ’cause I’ve practiced birth control, and people still got pregnant,” he said at the time. “But, to say that, I’m trying to be as responsible as I possibly can, learning lessons.”
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May 2023: Cannon rejects “deadbeat dad” label
In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Cannon offered up evidence against critics calling him a “deadbeat” father. “I’ve been villainized,” he said at the time. “I hear all the time: ‘You can’t be present for all those children.’ So therefore I get this deadbeat dad title.”
Addressing a report that he pays $3 million in child support each year, Cannon told the publication, “That’s not a lot of money.”
“When you think about my lifestyle, I have to generate at least $100 million a year,” he added. “Everybody thinks Ryan Seacrest has tons of money. I do everything that he does times 10. Well, not times 10 — times three.”
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January 2024: Cannon says he’s “chilling right now”
A little over a year after welcoming his 12th child, Cannon told People that he wasn’t looking too far into the future after that. “I’m chilling right now,” he told the publication. “There’s no plans on the horizon as of yet.”
“It’s so funny — everybody’s always trying to get me to have more kids,” he added at the time. “It’s like, 12 ain’t enough?”
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June 2024: Cannon defends his parenting
Traditional doesn’t always equal better, according to Cannon. The star defended his parenting in an interview with Men’s Health, saying that there can be “a lot of toxicity” in the average household. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m probably engaged throughout my children’s day more often than the average adult can be.
“People even often ask, ‘Are you gonna have more, you gonna stop?’” he continued. “I’m like, ‘Those are questions that I don’t, I don’t really even sit around and think about.’ I’m just walking in my purpose and trying to be the best father and best provider I could possibly be.”
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March 2025: Cannon says no to a vasectomy because he’s “not done”
On an episode of his We Playin’ Spades podcast, Cannon conceded that at that point, getting a vasectomy would be “the responsible thing to do” — not that it makes a difference. “I’m just — I’m not done,” he said on the show.
When co-host Courtney Bee asked if he wanted more children with one of his kids’ mothers or if he wanted to add someone new to the mix, Cannon had no clarity to offer. “I don’t know! That’s the thing,” he said. “I leave it to the Lord.”
