Key Takeaways
- Nick Cannon says his Netflix docuseries will offer a “raw” and “real” look at how he manages separate households with 12 children and six women.
- Some of the mothers initially resisted bringing cameras into their homes, but Cannon says they agreed to participate for him despite valuing their privacy.
- Premiering this winter, the series will tackle co-parenting tensions, difficult family conversations and the loss of Cannon and Alyssa Scott’s son Zen, with Cannon insisting, “There are no secrets and nothing to hide.”
Nick Cannon is opening the doors to his complicated family life for a new Netflix docuseries—and he says viewers shouldn't expect anyone to dodge the questions that have followed his unconventional household for years.
The 45-year-old entertainer, who has fathered 12 children with six women, says the series will premiere this winter and offer an unfiltered look at how those separate households actually function. Rather than continue watching outsiders fill in the blanks, Cannon told Us Weekly he decided to put his version of the story on camera.
“People have been fascinated with my lifestyle for quite some time, so instead of letting them make up stuff, I’m gonna give you everything,” Cannon said. He described the project as “raw” and “real,” adding, “I think we’re being more open and more vulnerable.”
Getting everyone in front of the cameras wasn't necessarily an easy sell. Cannon acknowledged that some of the mothers initially questioned why they should invite even more public attention into their homes. “They were like, ‘Why are we letting cameras into our homes?’” he recalled. “I think that everybody’s very comfortable with just keeping their peace. But everybody said that they would do it for me, so I’m appreciative of that.”
The series arrives as the logistics of Cannon's family have become a subject of public discussion even among those raising his children. Earlier this month, Bre Tiesi, who shares 4-year-old Legendary Love with Cannon, pushed back against the idea that his children's mothers operate as a collective co-parenting unit.
“There is no ‘we’—we don’t balance anything,” Tiesi said on E!’s Hot Goss podcast. Although she wants Legendary to have relationships with his siblings, Tiesi said Cannon bears responsibility for facilitating them. “Nick has to step up, and he has to make an environment and support the children,” she said.
That leaves plenty of family dynamics for the Netflix cameras to explore. Cannon shares 15-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan with ex-wife Mariah Carey; Golden, Powerful and Rise with Brittany Bell; twins Zion and Zillion and daughter Beautiful with Abby De La Rosa; Legendary with Tiesi; and Onyx with LaNisha Cole. He also shares Halo with Alyssa Scott. Their son Zen died at five months old in December 2021 after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
Cannon recently honored Zen with a beachside celebration of life, writing afterward that his son's “Light will forever shine in our hearts.” The loss is part of a family story Cannon says the series won't sanitize. He acknowledged that filming has forced conversations that might not otherwise have happened, particularly because “the world is watching.”
While Cannon says he's “built for this,” he recognizes his family didn't necessarily choose the same level of exposure. “I’m just praying that they all handle it very well,” he said, “because it’s going to be a lot.”
As for what happens when viewers finally get inside Cannon's world, he's ready for the reaction.
“I want to know what they have to say,” Cannon said, “because there are no secrets and nothing to hide.”
