Nick Cannon Blames Marriage Trauma From Mariah Carey Split for Having 12 Children With Different Women

Nick Cannon has said that emotional fallout from his divorce from Mariah Carey played a role in shaping his later life decisions, including fathering 12 children with multiple women. Speaking on The Breakfast Club, Cannon said he now believes he was still processing trauma from his marriage when he moved into a series of relationships after the split.

In the interview, Cannon directly linked his post-divorce behaviour to what he described as unresolved emotional strain. Responding to a question about whether his large family was connected to trauma, he suggested he had only recently begun to understand how much the breakup affected him. He added that it was not a conscious decision to build a large family, but rather a period where he felt he was moving without structure or reflection.

He said, '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 and because I had the access to whoever and however I wanted to move.' Cannon added that he now sees this period differently in hindsight, saying he should have taken more time for emotional healing before entering new relationships.

Relationship With Mariah Carey And What Followed

Cannon and Mariah Carey married in 2008 after a relatively short courtship. Their relationship attracted major public attention due to Carey's global music status and Cannon's rising entertainment career at the time. The couple welcomed twins, Moroccan and Monroe, in 2011 before eventually separating in 2014, with their divorce finalised in 2016.

In the years following the separation, Cannon began having children with several different partners. He has said in multiple interviews that many of these relationships were serious at the time, and in the recent Breakfast Club discussion, he again emphasised that he does not view his children as the result of casual encounters. Instead, he insisted each child was born out of what he described as a genuine emotional connection.

Cannon shares twins, Moroccan and Monroe, with Carey.

He later had sons Golden Sagon and Rise Messiah and daughter Powerful Queen with Brittany Bell. With Abby De La Rosa, he shares twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir and daughter Beautiful Zeppelin. He also has a son, Legendary Love with Bre Tiesi, daughter, Onyx Ice Cole with LaNisha Cole, and two children with Alyssa Scott, including son Zen, who died at five months old in 2021, and daughter Halo Marie.

'I Didn't Slow Down Enough': Cannon On Regret

Cannon said part of what he now recognises is that he did not take time to process the end of his marriage before moving forward. '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 said.

He also described what he now sees as a cycle of avoidance rather than reflection. 'Now you're leaving trauma every step of the way instead of fixing it from its origin,' he said, adding that he believes his emotional response to divorce shaped decisions he might otherwise have approached differently.

Despite that reflection, Cannon was clear that he does not reject the outcomes of those decisions. 'I stand firm on all of my decisions because I love all my kids,' he said. 'I love my family infrastructure.'

He added that, while he might have approached life differently with more emotional awareness at the time, he does not view his children as a mistake.

Fatherhood, Therapy, and Learning From His Children

Cannon also spoke about how fatherhood has reshaped his perspective. He said he now sees parenting as an ongoing learning process rather than a fixed role. 'I learn compassion more than anything,' he said, adding that his children are his 'best teachers.'

He said he is currently in therapy and has also taken part in family counselling sessions with some of his children. Cannon described therapy as something that helped him slow down and reflect, saying he previously believed he could simply 'figure it out' through work and success.

'I didn't get a chance to slow down until I got in therapy,' he said. 'I just got to keep making money, I got to stay hot, I got to stay funny and everything else will figure itself out.'

Despite everything, Cannon said he views fatherhood as a major source of purpose in his life. He said he continues to learn from his children daily, from toddlers to teenagers, and tries not to assume authority in every situation.

While acknowledging mistakes in hindsight, he said his focus now is on being present, learning from experience, and maintaining stability within his large family.