Nick Cannon is basically the final boss of celebrity dating. If you’ve spent any time on social media over the last few years, you’ve seen the memes about his ever-expanding family tree. It’s a lot to keep track of. Honestly, trying to map out who dated Nick Cannon feels less like reading a Hollywood dating column and more like studying a complex genealogical chart. From A-list icons to reality stars and the mothers of his twelve children, the list is long, varied, and occasionally very confusing.
He isn't just a guy who goes on dates. He’s a guy who builds dynasties.
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Most people start the story with Mariah Carey, but the history goes back way further into the early 2000s Nickelodeon era. You've got the teen heartthrob phase, the "power couple" marriage phase, and the current, well, "prolific" phase. To understand the sheer scale of his romantic history, you have to look at the overlap. There is a lot of it.
The Early Years: Teen Stars and Secret Flings
Long before the baby announcements became a monthly occurrence, Nick was the golden boy of Nickelodeon. This was the Drumline era. One of his first major relationships was with singer Christina Milian. They met on the set of the 2003 film Love Don’t Cost a Thing. It seemed like a match made in teen heaven. They dated for about two years, but it didn't end well. Milian has been pretty vocal in interviews, including a sit-down with E! News, about discovering Nick was cheating by allegedly hacking into his phone. It was a messy, very mid-2000s breakup.
Then came Kim Kardashian.
Yes, before the sex tape, before Kanye, and before she was a household name, Kim dated Nick. This was roughly 2006 to early 2007. Nick has joked in several interviews, including on The Howard Stern Show, that they broke up because she lied to him about the existence of her now-famous tape with Ray J. Whether that’s the whole truth or just Nick’s version of it, the relationship remains a fascinating "what if" in pop culture history.
He also had a brief engagement to Victoria's Secret Angel Selita Ebanks in 2007. He proposed on the Jumbotron in Times Square. It was huge. It was flashy. It lasted five months.
The Mariah Carey Era: The Peak of the Timeline
When we talk about who dated Nick Cannon, the conversation usually stops and starts with Mariah Carey. This wasn't just another fling. It was a cultural reset. They met while filming her music video for "Bye Bye" and got married in the Bahamas in 2008 after only six weeks of dating. People were shocked. The age gap—Mariah is about ten years older—and the difference in their "diva" status made them an unlikely pair.
They were happy. For a while.
They renewed their vows every single year. They had the "dem babies," twins Monroe and Moroccan, in 2011. But by 2014, the fairytale hit a wall. They filed for divorce, which was finalized in 2016. To this day, Nick speaks of Mariah with a level of reverence he doesn't use for anyone else. He’s called her the "love of his life" on multiple podcasts. He even released a song called "Alone" in 2022 that seemed to be a direct plea for her back, though Mariah has mostly stayed quiet and moved on.
The Transition into the Multiverse
After Mariah, the timeline gets... crowded. This is where the public started losing track.
First, there was Brittany Bell. She’s a former Miss Arizona USA. They started an on-again, off-again relationship around 2014. They have three children together: Golden Sagon, Powerful Queen, and Rise Messiah. Brittany seems to be a grounding force in his life, often appearing in "family style" photoshoots that look surprisingly traditional despite the non-traditional setup.
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Then came the floodgates.
The Women Who Shaped the Current Narrative
- Abby De La Rosa: A DJ and radio personality. She has three kids with Nick: twins Zion and Zillion, and daughter Beautiful Zeppelin.
- Alyssa Scott: A model who appeared on Wild 'N Out. Their story is the most heartbreaking. They had a son, Zen, who tragically passed away at five months old from brain cancer. They later welcomed a daughter, Halo Marie.
- Bre Tiesi: A luxury real estate agent and star of Selling Sunset. She has a son with Nick named Legendary Love. Bre has been very open on her show about the "open" nature of their relationship.
- LaNisha Cole: A photographer and model. They have a daughter, Onyx Ice. Her relationship with Nick seemed more fleeting than the others, and she has since distanced herself from the "Cannon family" media circus.
- Heather Musk: A model who shares daughter-parenting duties for their child, Beautiful Zeppelin (wait, no, that's Abby's). Actually, it's Lanisha Cole who has Onyx. See? Even the experts have to double-check the spreadsheets.
Wait. Let's get it straight: Heather North isn't in the mix. It's Tanisha? No. It’s Abby, Brittany, Bre, LaNisha, and Alyssa. That is the current core group.
Misconceptions About the "Harem"
There is a huge misconception that all these women live in one big house like a reality TV version of a cult. They don’t. Most of them have their own homes, their own careers, and their own lives. Nick spends his time traveling between them. He’s essentially a high-speed commuter parent.
Is it polyamory? Nick hates that word. He prefers to talk about it in terms of "consensual non-monogamy" or simply rejecting the "Eurocentric" idea of the nuclear family. He’s been very vocal on his The Daily Cannon show about his belief that marriage is a legal contract he isn't interested in repeating.
Interestingly, while the internet mocks him, the women involved rarely disparage each other publicly. Bre Tiesi and Abby De La Rosa have even been seen together. There seems to be a weirdly functional, albeit chaotic, level of communication happening behind the scenes.
Why We Can't Stop Watching
We are obsessed with who dated Nick Cannon because it defies every social norm we have about parenting and romance. In a world where most people struggle to co-parent with one person, Nick is doing it with five or six simultaneously.
It’s also about the money. Nick reportedly pays millions in child support every year. He doesn't have a "court-ordered" amount, according to him; he just provides whatever is needed. This implies a level of wealth and earning power that allows this lifestyle to exist. Between The Masked Singer, Wild 'N Out, and his various production deals, the man is a workaholic. He has to be.
What This Means for Celebrity Culture
Nick Cannon is a pioneer of a very specific, very controversial lifestyle. He has turned his personal life into a brand. Every baby announcement is a press release. Every breakup is a segment on his talk show. He has successfully blurred the line between his private life and his professional content.
But there’s a flip side. Experts in child psychology often point to the potential "attention deficit" for the children. How do you divide yourself twelve ways? Nick claims he schedules every minute of his day to ensure he sees all his kids, but the math is grueling.
Lessons from the Cannon Chronicle
If you're looking at Nick's life as a blueprint, there are a few things to keep in mind:
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- Communication is king. You can't have this many moving parts without being an elite-level communicator.
- Financial stability is the foundation. This lifestyle is impossible without massive recurring revenue.
- Expect public scrutiny. If you live outside the box, people will throw stones at the box.
Moving Forward: The Future of the Family Tree
Is Nick done? Probably not. He’s made jokes about getting a vasectomy, then backed out. He’s talked about "celibacy journeys" that lasted maybe three weeks. At this point, the public expects a new addition to the roster every year.
The real story isn't just a list of names. It’s the shift in how we view modern families. Whether you think he’s a genius or a disaster, Nick Cannon has forced a conversation about what a family "should" look like.
To stay truly updated on the Cannon universe, you have to follow the social media accounts of the mothers themselves—that’s where the real news breaks. Bre Tiesi’s Instagram or Abby De La Rosa’s stories are usually three weeks ahead of the tabloids. If you want to understand the logistics of his life, start by looking at his work schedule; the man works like he has twelve mouths to feed, because he does.
How to Track Future Updates
- Monitor "Wild 'N Out" Castings: Many of Nick’s partners have been models or performers on his long-running improv show.
- Check Holiday Photos: The "family" status is usually confirmed during major holidays like Christmas or Easter, where Nick does multiple, distinct photoshoots with each family unit.
- Listen to "The Daily Cannon": This is where he usually drops the most "intel" regarding his views on his current relationships and his philosophies on fatherhood.