NEWSNick Cannon Says Having 12 Kids Was His 'Trauma' Response After Mariah Carey Divorce: 'I Didn't Get a Chance to Slow Down'
Nick Cannon revealed that having 12 kids was a 'trauma' response to his divorce from Mariah Carey.
Sept. 16 2025, Published 11:39 a.m. ET
Nick Cannon said the reason he ended up with 12 kids is because of his divorce from Mariah Carey
On Monday, September 15, the comedian opened up on “The Breakfast Club” podcast, admitting that becoming a dad 12 times over was a “response to trauma” from his split from the superstar.
“I didn’t get a chance to slow down until I got in therapy,” Cannon said. “But I was just like, ‘Look, I just got to keep making money. I got to stay hot. I got to stay funny.’ And 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 did things very differently.”
Nick Cannon revealed that having 12 kids was tied to the 'trauma' of his divorce from Mariah Carey.
Still, Cannon said he doesn’t regret fatherhood.
“But I stand firm on all of my decisions because I love all my kids. I love my family infrastructure. But I know it all started from a place of pain and not really healing properly,” he explained.
Cannon explained he avoided his emotions following the breakup.
“It wasn’t like I was acting out. 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,” Cannon explained, adding that he’s “learning now.”
He continued, “[As] opposed to doing a mature thing and saying, ‘Hey, well, it probably makes more sense to do this.’ And then, obviously, life happens as well. So 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.’”
The comedian admitted that therapy helped him realize he never 'slowed down' after the pair's split.
Cannon shares 14-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, with Carey. He also has Golden Sagon, 8, Powerful Queen, 4, and Rise Messiah, 2, with Brittany Bell.
With Abby De La Rosa, Cannon welcomed twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, 4, and daughter Beautiful Zeppelin, 2. He also has Legendary Love, 2, with Bre Tiesi, and Onyx Ice Cole, 3, with LaNisha Cole.
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Additionally, Cannon shares Halo Marie, 2, with Alyssa Scott. The pair also had a son, Zen, who tragically died in 2021 at just 5 months old following a battle with brain cancer.
Nick Cannon shares twins Moroccan and Monroe with Mariah Carey.
Cannon and Carey first met at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, married in 2008, and later split in 2014 before finalizing their divorce in 2016.
Even though they’ve been apart for years, Cannon admitted in August 2024 that he’d still be open to a reunion.
“We belong together,” he said, calling it “stupid” if they didn’t try again.
However, he understands if things don't work out, sharing: “Yeah, she don’t want me. She’s moved on from my crazy antics.”
The pair split in 2014 and finalized their divorce in 2016.
The star also admitted he’s not the easiest partner when it comes to co-parenting.
“Yeah, I mean, to (my exes’) credit, you know what I mean? Dealing with me must be madness,” he confessed.
Still, Cannon insisted that when it comes to fatherhood, he’s all in.
“At the end of the day, if you put the kids first and remove ego, you can do anything,” he said.
