Over a span of 11 years, Nick Cannon has welcomed a whopping dozen children—with nine of them born in the last two years.
The actor became a father when he welcomed twins, Moroccan and Monroe Cannon, in 2011, with ex-wife Mariah Carey. The pair split five years later but remain a great team as Cannon constantly praises the singer for her god-like nature. Over a decade later, model Alyssa Scott gave birth to their second child in December 2022—Cannon’s 12th overall. In between, he fathered nine other children with four additional women: Brittany Bell, Abby De La Rosa, Bre Tiesi, and LaNisha Cole.
In a 2021 interview featured on his syndicated radio show on Power 106.9, the Wild n’ Out host responded to City Girl rappers Yung Miami and JT’s comments, advising that he should “wrap it up and protect” himself. “I’m having these kids on purpose. I don’t have no accident,” Cannon said. “Trust me, there’s a lot of people that I could’ve gotten pregnant that I didn’t. The ones that got pregnant are the ones that were supposed to get pregnant.”
After welcoming five children in 2022, the world questions if Cannon plans to add more bundles of joy to his list. “God decides when we’re done, but I believe I definitely got my hands full. And I’m so focused. I’m locked in. But when I’m 85, you never know. I might,” he said.
As society urges him to stop reproducing, Cannon revealed that he found “peace” and “purpose” within his children, per E! News. “It’s not about what society deems is right,” he said to Men’s Health. “It’s like, what makes it right for you? What brings you 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 added. “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.”
As many may think his time is spread too thin to be a “hands-on” father to all his children, Cannon disagrees. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m probably engaged throughout my children’s day, more often than the average adult can be,” he said. “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 then when I am [in the same city, I’m] driving my kids to school, like making sure I pick ‘em up.”
His unorthodox fathering choices have sparked significant social media controversy, as well as speculation that he is in a polygamous relationship with his children’s mothers. He also previously shared his feelings about polygamy, saying, “[I] seen where people believe a traditional household works, and [yet] there’s a lot of toxicity in that setting.”
“I don’t feel like monogamy is healthy. I feel like that gets into the space of selfishness and ownership,” he continued. “I am a better friend and companion than I am boyfriend, relationship, husband, all of it.”
While his being a present father might be true, having a dozen children comes with its challenges, and that includes sometimes forgetting some of their names as he did in a recent interview. As Cannon’s village grows and keeping track of his offspring gets more difficult, we have compiled a list of all his little ones and their mothers to keep you in the know—that maybe he can also use as a reference going forward.
1. Mariah Carey
Date: 2008–2016
No. of kids: 2
Cannon and Carey share twins Monroe and Moroccan. The pair married in 2008, ultimately splitting in 2014 after Cannon filed for divorce. The couple’s break up was finalized two years later. To this day, Cannon still believes that Carey was the love of his life, per The Shade Room. When asked to disclose his “greatest love,” he said, “Like the greatest? I mean, I always talk about that,” referring to Carey.
In the interview, he applauded Carey’s help for turning him into who he is today. “I get a lot of this delightful disposition from her,” he said. “When I found out about how remarkable she was, that woman was not human. She’s a gift from God.”
Cannon has been an active father to his twins since the split, as they co-parent. But, according toEssence, Carey is allegedly seeking full custody of the kids. A close source stated, “The reality of the situation is that Monroe and Moroccan are usually with Mariah anyway. Nick doesn’t see much of them.” Adding, “She wants to put him on notice that he can’t just flit in and out of their lives while he attends to his other children, and she wants legal standing as the twins’ primary caregiver.” Official documentation of the filing has not been publicized.
2. Brittany Bell
Date: 2017–present
No. of kids: 3
The two share a son named Golden Cannon, 6, a daughter, Powerful Queen Cannon, 2, and a son, Rise Messiah Cannon, born in September. The pair announced her third pregnancy in August, as Cannon posted their maternity shoot in which they were all laughs and smiles. “Time Stopped and This Happened…@missbbell ❤️😍🥰🌞 #Sunshine #SonRISE,” he captioned the post.
3. Abby De La Rosa
Date: 2021–present
No. of kids: 3
De La Rosa welcomed Cannon’s second set of twins, Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, in June 2021. Their newest little one, a daughter named Beautiful Zeppelin Cannon, was born in November. In 2023, De La Rosa disclosed that she will serve as the DJ on Cannon’s new radio show, The Daily Cannon. She is not a new face to the radio industry. Prior to this gig, she worked as a radio personality for the station Real 92.3, interviewing hip-hop up-and-comers.
She has made headlines recently after she revealed her odd kink. When asked if she feels a “little jealousy” when Cannon tends to the other women in his life, she responded, “For me, I think at times because I am so calm and chill, what it’ll do for me is just kinda turn me on a little bit.”
“Like, I’m a little jealous, but at the same time, it’s just kind of like, you know, this is my baby daddy,” she said. She also said that she met Nick when he was with one of the mothers of children. De La Rosa and Cannon have a seemingly stable relationship as he gifted her a new home in September of last year. The DJ tweeted a video of Zion and Zillion walking around their new home, writing, “Here’s to beautiful new beginnings. I’m so grateful – Thank you, Dad – Zion & Zillion,” per People.
De La Rosa seemingly confirmed the rumors that she is in a polyamorous relationship with Cannon in an interview on The Lovers and Friends podcast with Shan Boodram. “Naturally, I understand everyone’s distaste and disagreeance on how I have chosen to live my life,” she said. “Technically speaking, we all know about each other,” she said, referring to Cannon’s other women. “It’s just, how much do you want to know? How much are you choosing to know? I trust the connection that I have with Nick.”
De La Rosa also said that Cannon is her primary partner but is willing to accept another “connection” if one finds her.
4. Bre Tiesi
Date: 2022
No. of kids: 1
In July 2022, Bre Tiesi welcomed Cannon’s baby No. 8, a boy named Legendary Love Cannon. “I did it. An all natural unmedicated home birth,” Tiesi revealed via Instagram. “This was the most humbling/limit-pushing yet awakening and completely empowering experience. I can’t thank my team enough for delivering my son safely.”
Selling Sunset’s newest member came under fire after broadcasting Cannon’s communication dynamic regarding planning time with his kids. “We can all go through the assistant to make sure it’s on the calendar if there’s anything important,” she said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “But anything you say you need from him, this man always shows up. So, you know, we have X, Y, and Z; it’s on the calendar, he’s there.” Tiesi says she has confidence in Cannon’s ability to show up consistently. “I never have to worry or question if he is going to be present. That is something that’s important to me. But I’ll make it happen. If I have to move things around, we’ll do that.”
5. LaNisha Cole
Date: 2022
No. of Kids: 1
LaNisha Cole welcomed her first child—his 9th—Onyx Ice Cole Cannon in September. “Onyx Ice Cole Cannon 💖9-14-22”, she captioned a black and white post of her child. Featured on The Howard Stern Show, Cannon was asked to name each of his kids. In the video below, he is seen naming them off confidently. But Stern pointed out that he left off his baby girl, Onyx Ice. “You threw me off because I was going in order!” he said.
Cole spoke out about the incident on her Instagram Story. She wrote, “My whole world… the most beautiful little girl. I will do everything I can every single day to make sure she knows how special she is and how much I love and adore her.” In addition to the warm message, she addressed her life playing out in public. “It’s not normal to have your life play out in front of an audience, but this is the age we live in. That being said…no person’s path is linear. There’s going to be blind curves, peaks, valleys, and sometimes we make wrong turns or run into dead ends. Simply correct course and get back on your forward-moving path.”
She added, “I pray every day for strength, guidance, and peace. Regardless of where I’m at on my path, I know that God’s got me. And I’ve got Onyx.”
She is currently dating filmmaker Brian Kuba, who seems present since her pregnancy.
6. Alyssa Scott
Date: 2022–present
No. of Kids: 2
Alyssa Scott welcomed Zen Cannon in June 2021, who unfortunately died five months later.
The model shared the heartbreaking news in an Instagram post. “Oh, my sweet Zen. The soreness I felt in my arm from holding you is slowly fading away. It’s a painful reminder that you are no longer here. I caught myself looking in the backseat as I was driving, only to see the mirror no longer reflecting your perfect face back at me. When I close a door too loudly, I hold my breath and wince, knowing a soft cry will shortly follow. It doesn’t come. The silence is deafening.”
“It has been an honor and privilege being your mommy.. I will love you for eternity. 6.23.21 – 12.5.21,” she signed off.
Cannon confirmed the death of his son, stating Zen died from a brain tumor. One month after their son’s death, the TV host announced that he was expecting with Tiesi on national television. Sparking controversy, Nick addressed the situation, saying he should have handled the announcement better. Scott wrote a long message about the news and her current grieving process.
In December 2022, Scott gave birth to the latest member of the tribe, a girl named Halo Marie Cannon. The mother shared a video of her newborn. Nodding her late son, she wrote, “December 14, 2022. Our lives are forever changed. Zen is in every breath I take. I know his spirit was with us in the room that morning. I know he is watching down on us, he shows me signs every day. I will hold onto this memory forever.”
“I will remember the sound of Nick’s voice saying, “It’s a girl,” and the look of everything we’ve been through flash across his face. I will remember the sound of her crying out with her first breath and feeling her heartbeat against mine. My sweet girl, I got my surprise!! We love you, Halo Marie Cannon!”
