Dad of 12 Nick Cannon: My twins with Mariah Carey asked ‘What about me?’
Nick Cannon’s twins with Mariah Carey had a “Don’t Forget About Us”-like response to the news he’d fathered 10 other children.
Learning of their dad’s bustling brood of 12 came as a shock to his eldest kids, daughter Monroe and son Moroccan Cannon, 12, according to the “Wild ‘N Out” host, who said the duo immediately questioned where they ranked in his life and heart.
“They were like, ‘Oh! Well, what about me?’ ” Cannon, 42, revealed to Dr. Laura Berman on her podcast, “The Language of Love,” of the preteens’ response to his insemination spree across six baby mamas.
The ever-fruitful comedian welcomed his 12th bundle of joy, Halo Marie, with model Alyssa Scott, 29, on Dec. 14, 2022.
And while Cannon says his tweens with Carey, 54, were mildly excited about becoming a big brother and big sister to their swarm of siblings — claiming they’d let out a half-hearted “yay” upon being updated about his tribe — he admitted that the duo was more concerned about their value to him.
“[Monroe] was like, ‘You love me the most, right?,’ ” said the “Masker Singer” host.
“I was like, ‘Alright, let’s have that conversation,’ ” Cannon continued. “ ‘You are my firstborn, so you are unique.’ ”
He explained that it’s important each of his spawn know they’re expressly special to him.
“You find something that [they] can have that’s just theirs,” said the star. “Every child wants that.”
The “All That” alum added that he plans to have a similar discussion about his army of offspring with his third eldest kid, Golden Sagon, 6, who he had with former beauty pageant queen Brittany Bell, 35. The pair also has 2-year-old daughter Powerful Queen and 9-month-old son Rise Messiah.
Cannon is also the proud papa of 2-year-old twin boys Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir and 7-month-old daughter Beautiful Zeppelin with Abby De La Rosa, an 11-month-old son Legendary Love with “Selling Sunset” star Bre Tiesi, a 9-month old daughter Onyx Ice Cole with model LaNisha Cole, and a late son with Scott, Zen, who died of brain cancer at 5-months-old in December 2021.
And despite his already bountiful bevy of babes, Cannon has said that he’s not quite through spreading his seed.
“God decided when we’re done,” he told ET in February. “I believe I definitely got my hands full. I’m so focused. I’m locked in. But when I’m 85, you never know. I might.”
During his recent podcast appearance, however, Cannon acknowledged that his “unorthodox” parenting style might ultimately stir some ill-will among his herd in the future.
“There’s probably going to be some feelings that they’re not even going to share with me right away,” conceded the “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” actor.
“Like, ‘Man, I wish I was this…’ or ‘I wish I would have had a different scenario or a different upbringing,’ ” he said. “When those things are brought up, we deal with them.”
Cannon went on to confess that he does not “have it all figured out” when it comes to being a dad of many.
“Even with one child, there are going to be complexities,” said Cannon, who grew up in a broken home. “I might operate out of ego or say something that I don’t really mean…Or my own abandonment issues come up.”
Pointing to his own childhood truama, he said, “How much would I have loved to see both of my parents at my growing-up events or in a household together,” before admitting that he won’t always be present for major milestones in the lives of his kids.
“I have to accept that I’m not going to be able to be at every single baseball game or ballerina [recital],” he lamented, adding that he hopes to be there for all of his kids at least “99% of the time.”
“As long as I put up the effort and don’t become negligent, then we should be fine,” said Cannon. “As long as they know daddy is trying his best and operating out of love all the time.”
But when it comes to his baby mamas’ sore feelings about his many biological commitments, the ladies are totally on their own.
“That’s their parents’ problems,” he said of his harem. “I didn’t make them that way.”
