Honestly, trying to keep track of Nick Cannon’s family tree feels a bit like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube while riding a roller coaster. Every time you think you’ve got the final count, a new headline pops up. It’s become a bit of a running joke on the internet, but behind the memes is a real, very large, and frankly, very expensive family dynamic.
So, let’s get the big number out of the way first. Nick Cannon has 12 children.
He’s fathered these twelve kids with six different women. If that sounds like a lot to juggle, that’s because it is. He’s gone on record saying he spends a massive chunk of his "12 jobs" income just to keep the households running. But how did we even get here? It wasn't always a whirlwind of back-to-back births. It started pretty traditionally with a superstar marriage, and then, well, the floodgates sort of opened.
The Famous Beginning: Mariah Carey and the OG Twins
Before the "baby mogul" era, there was the era of Nick and Mariah. They were the ultimate power couple. In 2011, they welcomed fraternal twins who are now basically teenagers.
- Monroe Cannon: Born April 30, 2011. She’s named after Marilyn Monroe and, interestingly, doesn't have a middle name because Mariah doesn't have one either.
- Moroccan Scott Cannon: Also born April 30, 2011. His name comes from the Moroccan-style room in Mariah’s NYC apartment where Nick proposed.
These two are the elders of the group. You’ve probably seen them on TikTok or walking red carpets with their dad. They seem to take the "big sibling" role pretty seriously, even as the headcount below them grew exponentially.
The Brittany Bell Chapter: Three and Counting
After the divorce from Mariah, Nick started a family with model and former Miss Arizona, Brittany Bell. This wasn't a one-and-done situation; they’ve welcomed three kids over the span of about five years.
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Golden Sagon Cannon arrived in 2017. He was the "only child" of this second wave for a while. Then came Powerful Queen Cannon in December 2020. People loved the name, even if it felt a bit "extra." Most recently, they had Rise Messiah Cannon in September 2022.
Nick and Brittany seem to have a solid co-parenting rhythm. They often post photos from elaborate themed birthday parties that look like they cost more than my first car.
The 2021-2022 Explosion: When Things Got Wild
If you felt like you were seeing a new baby announcement every month during 2022, you weren't hallucinating. At one point, Nick had five kids born in a single year. He actually called this "careless activity" in a 2025 interview with Vulture, admitting that the timing was a bit of a whirlwind even for him.
Abby De La Rosa’s Trio
Abby, a former radio personality, has three kids with Nick. First came the twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir in June 2021. Yeah, "Zillion Heir"—Nick really leaned into the puns there. A year later, in November 2022, they welcomed a daughter named Beautiful Zeppelin Cannon.
The Tragic Loss of Zen
In the middle of that 2021 rush, Alyssa Scott gave birth to Zen Cannon. Tragically, Zen passed away at just five months old in December 2021 due to brain cancer. It was a rare moment where the public's poking fun at Nick’s family size stopped. The grief was real. Nick has spoken openly about the "shattering" pain of losing a child, and he’s kept Zen’s memory alive in almost every interview since.
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Bre Tiesi and the "Selling Sunset" Connection
You might know Bre from Netflix's Selling Sunset. She and Nick share one son, Legendary Love Cannon, born in June 2022. Bre has been one of the most vocal defenders of their "unorthodox" relationship, explaining that she’s happy with the arrangement and that Nick is a very present father despite the math.
LaNisha Cole and Onyx
In September 2022, just nine days before Rise was born, Onyx Ice Cole Cannon arrived. Her mother is photographer LaNisha Cole. Nick once admitted on a podcast that he spends the most time with Onyx, partly because he has a nursery for her right next to his office.
Rounding it Out with Halo
To close out the chaotic 2022 run, Alyssa Scott gave birth to Halo Marie Cannon in December. She’s often referred to as a "rainbow baby" following the loss of her brother Zen.
The Math of Fatherhood: How Does He Do It?
The question everyone asks is: How? How do you show up for 12 kids? How do you attend 12 school plays or 12 birthdays? Nick claims he’s "present" for all of them, but he’s also admitted he has to "schedule" his life down to the minute. He’s even famously forgotten a couple of names during a 2025 podcast appearance with Bobbi Althoff—he missed Onyx and Halo while trying to list them all under pressure.
He’s insured his "manhood" for $10 million, which tells you he knows exactly what his brand is at this point.
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| Child's Name | Mother | Birth Year |
|---|---|---|
| Monroe | Mariah Carey | 2011 |
| Moroccan | Mariah Carey | 2011 |
| Golden Sagon | Brittany Bell | 2017 |
| Powerful Queen | Brittany Bell | 2020 |
| Zion Mixolydian | Abby De La Rosa | 2021 |
| Zillion Heir | Abby De La Rosa | 2021 |
| Zen | Alyssa Scott | 2021 (Deceased) |
| Legendary Love | Bre Tiesi | 2022 |
| Onyx Ice Cole | LaNisha Cole | 2022 |
| Rise Messiah | Brittany Bell | 2022 |
| Beautiful Zeppelin | Abby De La Rosa | 2022 |
| Halo Marie | Alyssa Scott | 2022 |
Is He Done?
Probably not.
In early 2025, Nick joked on X (formerly Twitter) that if his "Wild 'N Out" token hit a certain market cap, he’d have three more kids just to "beat Elon Musk." Musk currently has 14. It’s a weird, high-stakes competition of the billionaires and millionaires, I guess.
Whether you think he’s a dedicated dad or just someone with a very confusing hobby, Nick Cannon’s family is a fixture of pop culture now. He’s built a legacy that is literally too big to fit in a standard SUV.
What you can do next:
If you're trying to keep up with the latest updates on the Cannon clan, the best way is to follow Nick's official Instagram. He usually posts "family day" photos where he tries to get as many of the kids together as possible. Also, if you're curious about how he funds this lifestyle, check out his latest business ventures like the Wild 'N Out tour—because with 12 tuitions on the horizon, the man is definitely not retiring anytime soon.