Nick Cannon Reflects on Divorce Trauma and Fathering 12 Children
Nick Cannon has opened up about how the emotional aftermath of his 2014 divorce from Mariah Carey influenced his life choices, including fathering twelve children. In a candid interview on The Breakfast Club published September 15, the 44-year-old entertainer revealed that both the breakup and the pressures of his career affected his decision-making.
Therapy and Realization
“I didn’t get a chance to slow down until I got in therapy,” Cannon admitted. “But I was just like, ‘Look, I just got to keep making money. I got to stay hot. I got to stay funny.’ Everything else figured itself out, and I just didn’t do the work. So then I looked up with 12 kids later. Wow, I could have done things very differently.”
He emphasized that while he stands by all of his decisions, acknowledging the love he has for his children, he recognizes that many choices stemmed from unresolved pain. “I know it all started from a place of pain and not really healing properly,” he said.
Trauma’s Impact on Fatherhood
During the radio interview, Cannon addressed whether his large family was a response to past trauma. He confirmed, “Yeah. I’m learning that now.” He explained that his actions weren’t deliberate rebellion but rather a result of carelessness and privilege. “It was more of being careless, being frivolous with my process, because I could do it, because I had the money, because I had the access to whoever and however I wanted to move,” he said.
He reflected on how a more mature approach might have altered the course of his life. “It wasn’t like, ‘Well, I’m gonna go have 12 kids.’ It was more about, like, ‘Yo, I’mma just live life and have fun and whatever happens, happens, I can handle it.’”
Family Overview
Cannon shares twin teenagers, Moroccan and Monroe, with Carey, whom he was married to from 2008 to 2016. He also has four children with Brittany Bell—sons Golden Saigon, 8, and Rise Messiah, 2, and daughter Powerful Queen, 4; three children with Abby De La Rosa—twin sons Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, both 4, and daughter Beautiful Zeppelin, 2; son Legendary Love, 3, with Bre Tiesi; daughter Onyx Ice Cole, 3, with LaNisha Cole; and daughter Halo Marie, 2, with Alyssa Scott. Cannon and Scott are also parents to son Zen, who tragically passed away in December 2021 from a brain tumor.
Personal Growth Through Therapy
Cannon, who has spoken publicly about his diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder, credited therapy with helping him gain perspective. “Being almost 45 now, I can sit back and be like, ‘If I would have thought the process through a little bit more and took time to actually do the inner work, things might have been a little different in certain scenarios,’” he shared.
He stressed that all of his children were born out of love. “I’ve always said this, every child that I have was made out of love,” he said. Cannon added that stronger personal healing after his divorce could have influenced his choices: “I probably would have took my time in a lot of other scenarios. I thought that was the answer a lot of times. It was like, ‘Oh, I’mma figure it out over here, I’mma figure it out over here,’ as opposed to fixing the trauma at its origin.”
Divorce and Co-Parenting
Cannon and Carey finalized their divorce in November 2016 after separating in December 2014. The former couple agreed to joint custody of their twins and retained the earnings they made during their marriage. Despite their split, sources report that Cannon and Carey remain supportive co-parents, providing a positive example of collaboration after divorce.
Since the separation, Carey was briefly engaged to billionaire James Packer and later dated back-up dancer Bryan Tanaka from 2016 to 2023. Cannon has remained involved with the mothers of his children but has not publicly entered a committed relationship since his divorce from Carey.
