Did you know Nick Cannon is a father to 12 children between six women? The Wild N’ Out star has created a heck of a family tree for himself—and he has no regrets about the unusual arrangement.
Learn about his journey into fatherhood—and his unique views on relationships—plus the details of his former girlfriends and kids.
Who Does Nick Cannon Have Children With?
It seems like every few months, a new headline pops up welcoming another child fathered by Nick Cannon to the world. Despite the ridiculously close timeline, Cannon in the past has maintained all his children were intentional.
We break out which children are shared with which women to help break down the confusion.
Mariah Carey—Two Children
Cannon married Mariah Carey on April 30, 2008. Her first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, but exactly three years later, the singer gave birth to their twins, Monroe and Moroccan.
The couple separated in 2014 and their divorce was finalized in 2016. Despite Cannon’s history of rekindling things with past baby mamas, don’t believe rumors that they’re trying for another kid. However, they remain committed to drama-free co-parenting.
“It just made us say, ‘Let’s co-exist for the betterment of our children,'” Cannon told Variety in June 2020. “We’re doing whatever we can to make sure their upbringing is as healthy as can possibly be and that we’re as healthy as we can possibly be. And that’s where we are to this day.”
Brittany Bell—Three Children
In February 2017, Cannon welcomed his third child, son Golden “Sagon” Cannon, with beauty pageant queen Brittany Bell.
He reportedly broke the news to Roe and Roc while they were watching cartoons together. “Just because my marriage was over didn’t mean I couldn’t continue my family,” he said in an interview with radio station Power 106.
Cannon and Bell had a second child, Powerful Queen Cannon, in December 2020. In September 2022, the couple welcomed their third child, and Cannon’s tenth, Rise Messiah Cannon.
The curious thing is that through it all, Bell has never been considered Cannon’s girlfriend. He simply said they have a long history together, and that he wanted a baby mama who was “solid, spiritual, and had the same views.”
Abby De La Rosa—Three Children
Cannon was already hard at work creating new siblings for his future daughter during Bell’s pregnancies. On June 14, 2021, six months after Powerful Queen’s birth, DJ Abby De La Rosa gave birth to twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, which marked the second time that Cannon fathered multiples.
Like other women who have mothered Cannon’s children, De La Rosa has suggested that she’s on board with a non-traditional arrangement.
“In 2020, the man who is now my children’s father and I reconnected … This isn’t a bs ‘love’ story, it’s a REAL story,” she wrote on an Instagram story. “His openness and honesty won my heart but above anything, he is my dearest friend and my partner [in] this world of mine. He changed my life in all the most unconventional ways, inspiring me to open my mind to the unknown when it came to loving outside of ‘labels’ and ‘ownership.'”
And it seems this non-traditional arrangement has worked out in the duo’s favor. On November 11, 2022, Cannon announced via Instagram that De La Rosa had given birth to their third child together, Beautiful Zeppelin Cannon.
Alyssa Scott—Two Child
Cannon’s next mother to his children was model Alyssa Scott. The two have never confirmed a relationship but Scott posted a picture of Cannon rubbing her very pregnant belly on Instagram for Father’s Day. That’s right—she was the third woman expecting around the same time as Bell and De La Rosa.
On June 23, less than 10 days after Zion and Zillion Heir were born, Scott gave birth to a boy, Zen. S. Cannon. Sadly, in December 2021, Cannon announced on his talk show that Zen passed away from brain cancer at five months old.
That wasn’t the end of their relationship, however. On December 14th, 2022, Cannon and Scott welcomed a daughter, Halo Marie Cannon, to the world. Halo Marie’s arrival was almost exactly a year after her big brother Zen had passed away.
“December 14, 2022. Our lives are forever changed,” Scott wrote in an Instagram post. “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.”
Bre Tiesi—One Child
In January 2022, Cannon announced his eighth child with Bre Tiesi. He acknowledged knowing about the newest member of his family before Zen’s tragic passing and reported to People that he wasn’t sure how to announce the pregnancy.
“So even going through all of that, this was always in the back of my mind, like, ‘What is the right time? How do I share this?'” he said. “No one, we didn’t expect Zen to pass away … All of the news was so unexpected.”
Despite this tragic loss in Cannon’s life, he and Tiesi welcomed their son Legendary Love via a home birth in July 2022.
LaNisha Cole—One Child
In September 2022, Cannon made an Instagram post revealing that his ninth child, daughter Onyx Ice Cole, had been born—a baby he never shared he was expecting. The mother of the child is LaNisha Cole, whose Instagram profile says she is a photographer and film producer.
“Once again today I am in Awe of the Divine Feminine! God has given me and @MissLanishaCole the privilege of hosting an Angel here on earth,” Cannon wrote in his Instagram post. “I vow to protect, provide, guide, and love this child to the best of my abilities.”
Nick Cannon Has No Interest In Monogamy
Given his dating history, it’s no surprise that Cannon is averse to monogamy—not that he hasn’t tried! He told the expediTIously podcast in 2020 that he had always been faithful to Mariah Carey during their marriage. However, the experience opened his eyes to an alternative approach to relationships.
“I think I’ll never be able to be with just one woman again,” Cannon said. “I did it in marriage, I was very faithful in my marriage. The reason why we split up had nothing to do with infidelity, nothing like that. Once I stepped away from that, I [realized] that construct is not designed for me.”
“It’s that hunting mentality,” he told Evelyn Lozada in a 2020 interview. “But it’s also like, ‘Yo, if we suppose to be fruitful and multiply … there’s not many creatures on earth that are monogamous.”
He has also half-jokingly cited his lupus diagnosis as a reason (or excuse) to stay single and avoid contraception. In 2017, he spoke about the autoimmune disease in an interview with Howard Stern: “I’m living life like ‘F*ck, I might die in the morning, so let’s f*ck all night!’ So why wear condoms? I might not be here tomorrow!”
How Much Does Nick Cannon Pay In Child Support?
As a result of Cannon’s ever-expanding brood, many have wondered how much he pays in child support, with The Sun estimating that the figure is around $3 million. Cannon refuted this claim, however, stating to The Neighborhood Talk that it’s actually much more.
“I definitely spend a lot more than [$3 million] on my children annually,” Cannon said. “I don’t plan to ever have to participate in the governmental system of child.”
Is Nick Cannon Done Having Kids?
In February 2022, as reported by People, Cannon decided to try and be celibate for a while. He originally made the decision in October 2021 and admitted his newest family addition with Bre Tiesi happened before he made the vow of celibacy, though De La Rosa’s October 2022 due date suggests some overlap. His decision was apparently encouraged by his therapist.
Then, in May of 2022, People reported that Cannon admitted to scheduling a consultation for a vasectomy. He stated, “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.”
In another interview for The Language of Love podcast, Cannon said, “I don’t have the bandwidth for it anymore … Because I feel like I do owe the women that are currently in my life, I owe them as much energy, time, and effort as I possibly [can]—especially my kids.”
But if the events of the latter half of 2022 are any indication, Cannon isn’t really slowing down any time soon. All that really matters is that his children are healthy and happy.