Nick Cannon Says Having 12 Kids Was A “Careless” Response To Trauma From Mariah Carey Split
"I had the access to whoever and however I wanted to move."
BY PREEZY BROWN
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SEPTEMBER 16, 2025 11:28AM
Nick Cannon at the 2024 FOX Spring Preview held at FOX Studios on March 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty Images
Nick Cannon is opening up about the deeper reasons behind his decision to father twelve children with six different women, revealing that unresolved trauma stemming from his relationship and divorce from music superstar Mariah Carey played a pivotal role in how his family life unfolded.
During a candid conversation on The Breakfast Club, Cannon reflected on the aftermath of his high-profile split from Carey, which became official in 2016 after their separation in 2014.
The pair share twins, Moroccan and Monroe, and their breakup left lasting emotional effects that Cannon says indirectly influenced his outlook and choices.
Nick Cannon at the FOX Fall Press Day Red Carpet held at the FOX Lot on September 5, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty Images
“I’m learning that now, and it wasn’t like I was acting out,” Cannon said. “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.
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“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.’”
Nick Cannon speaks onstage during WayMaker Men’s Summit Presented By BET Experience – Day 2 at The Beehive on June 06, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
Looking back with the wisdom of age, Cannon admitted, “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’ve been a little different in certain scenarios.’”
Despite acknowledging the impulsiveness of his past decisions, Cannon insisted he harbors no regrets about the family he’s built.
“I don’t know … I’ve always said this: Every child that I had was made out of love and they was strong relationships,” he explained. “If I would’ve did the work and the healing after getting divorced, I probably would’ve took my time in a lot of other scenarios.
Nick Cannon attends the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce 2019 State of The Entertainment Industry Conference held at Lowes Hollywood Hotel on November 21, 2019 in Hollywood, California. Michael Tran/Getty Images
“And for whatever reason, 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,’ opposed to like leaving trauma every step of the way, instead of fixing it from its origin and then being able to present itself. But concepts like monogamy, I still feel the same way.”
Watch Nick Cannon’s The Breakfast Club interview below.