Nick Cannon Admits Money and Access Made Him Careless in Having 12 Children

Nick Cannon is opening up about the choices that led him to become a father of 12, admitting he may not have thought things through as carefully as he should have.

In a candid interview with The Breakfast Club, Cannon shared that money, access, and unhealed trauma played major roles in his parenting journey.

"It wasn't like I was acting out," Cannon said on the radio show. "It was more of being careless, being frivolous with my process because I could do it, because I had the money [and] because I had the access."

According to RollingStone, the 44-year-old entertainer explained that he never set out with the goal of having 12 children, but instead lived in the moment. "I was gonna just live life and have fun and whatever happens happens. I can handle it."

Now nearing 45, Cannon says he's realizing that his choices may have been a response to emotional pain, especially following his divorce from Mariah Carey.

"If I would have did the work [and] the healing after getting divorced, I probably would have took my time in a lot of other scenarios," he shared. "You're leaving trauma every step of the way instead of fixing it from its origin."

Nick Cannon Admits Daughters Changed His Dating Views

Despite the regrets, Cannon insists all of his children were born out of love and during meaningful relationships.

He told co-host Charlamagne tha God that doing the inner work earlier might have changed the outcome, but he's not sure if it would have stopped him from becoming a dad to so many.

"Every child that I had was made out of love," he emphasized.

Cannon shares 12 children with six different women, including twins Moroccan and Monroe with ex-wife Mariah Carey. He has other children with Brittany Bell, Abby De La Rosa, Bre Tiesi, LaNisha Cole, and Alyssa Scott.

Earlier this year, Cannon told People that he's "pressing hold" on expanding his family—for now. "I really don't know," he said. "The way my bank account is set up, I'm going to press hold on this 12 for right now."

He also noted that being a dad to five daughters has changed how he views his past choices, especially in relationships.

"Hopefully my daughters learn from my mistakes and not date people like their dad," Cannon said.

Tags

Nick Cannon, Children