Nick Cannon is a name that pops up in headlines for all sorts of reasons — his music, his TV hosting, and his ever-growing family. By 2025, he publicly acknowledges 12 living children with six different women, making his personal life a recurring tabloid fixture. This article separates confirmed facts from the rumor mill, tracing his marriages, relationships, and the tragic loss of his son Zen.

Number of confirmed children: 12 · Number of baby mamas: 6 · Year married to Mariah Carey: 2008 · Net worth (estimated): $25 million · Known medical condition: Lupus · Age at first child birth: 30

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
3Timeline signal
  • 2011: Twins Moroccan and Monroe born with Mariah Carey (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • 2021-2022: Rapid expansion – 9 children born in two years (Complex (pop culture coverage))
4What’s next
  • Continued public discussion of polyamory and family expansion (Complex (pop culture coverage))

Seven key data points, one clear pattern: most of Cannon’s children arrived in a concentrated window, reflecting a deliberate choice to build a large family across multiple relationships.

Attribute Value
Full name Nicholas Scott Cannon
Date of birth October 8, 1980
Age (2025) 44
Net worth $25 million (estimated)
Children 12 living (13 total with Zen)
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)

How many baby mamas does Nick Cannon have?

Nick Cannon has publicly identified six women as the mothers of his children: Mariah Carey, Brittany Bell, Abby De La Rosa, Bre Tiesi, LaNisha Cole, and Alyssa Scott (Complex (pop culture coverage)).

List of mothers of Nick Cannon’s children

  • Mariah Carey – twins Moroccan and Monroe (born 2011) (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • Brittany Bell – three children: Golden (2017), Powerful Queen (2020), Rise Messiah (2022) (Complex (pop culture coverage))
  • Abby De La Rosa – twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir (2021), and Beautiful Zeppelin (2022) (Complex (pop culture coverage))
  • Bre Tiesi – Legendary Love (2022) (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • LaNisha Cole – Onyx Ice Cole Cannon (2022) (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • Alyssa Scott – Zen (2021, deceased) and Halo Marie (2022) (Complex (pop culture coverage))

Bottom line: Six mothers, all publicly named by Cannon himself. The number is confirmed by both entertainment outlets and birth records, though the total of 12 living children is subject to change as Cannon has stated he plans to keep expanding his family.

Does Nick Cannon have 12 children?

As of 2025, Nick Cannon has 12 living children, with a 13th child, son Zen, who died in 2021 at five months old from brain cancer (BabyNames.com (baby name database)).

Names and birth years of each child

  • Moroccan Scott Cannon (2011, mother Mariah Carey)
  • Monroe Cannon (2011, mother Mariah Carey)
  • Golden Sagon Cannon (2017, mother Brittany Bell)
  • Powerful Queen Cannon (2020, mother Brittany Bell)
  • Zion Mixolydian Cannon (2021, mother Abby De La Rosa)
  • Zillion Heir Cannon (2021, mother Abby De La Rosa)
  • Zen Scott Cannon (2021, mother Alyssa Scott – deceased)
  • Legendary Love Cannon (2022, mother Bre Tiesi)
  • Rise Messiah Cannon (2022, mother Brittany Bell)
  • Beautiful Zeppelin Cannon (2022, mother Abby De La Rosa)
  • Onyx Ice Cole Cannon (2022, mother LaNisha Cole)
  • Halo Marie Cannon (2022, mother Alyssa Scott)
The catch

The tally of 12 living children relies on public announcements. Sources like BabyNames.com listed eleven children at the time of their article, showing how quickly the count changes.

Are Nick and Bre in an open relationship?

Nick Cannon has described his relationships as consensual non-monogamy. Bre Tiesi has publicly stated their relationship is open (Complex (pop culture coverage)).

Definition of polyamory in Nick Cannon’s context

Cannon has used terms like “cowgirling” and the “3 6 9 rule” to describe his approach, though these lack formal definitions (BabyNames.com (baby name database)). Abby De La Rosa, another mother, said on a podcast that Cannon is her primary partner and she is open to another connection (Complex (pop culture coverage)).

How many concurrent partners does Nick Cannon have?

The exact number of simultaneous partners is undisclosed. Cannon’s public appearances and social media suggest at least three active relationships in recent years, but this is speculation.

The paradox

Cannon presents himself as a proponent of transparency in polyamory, yet the boundaries and rules of his network remain vague, leaving room for both consent and confusion among partners.

How old was Nick when he married Mariah Carey?

Nick Cannon married Mariah Carey on April 30, 2008, when he was 27 years old (born October 8, 1980) (BabyNames.com (baby name database)).

Timeline of Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey’s relationship

  • 2008: Married in the Bahamas (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • 2011: Twins Moroccan and Monroe born (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • 2016: Divorce finalized

Bottom line: The marriage lasted eight years. Carey has spoken about multiple miscarriages during that time, adding a layer of grief to their family story.

What happened to Nick’s son Zen?

Zen Scott Cannon was born in June 2021 to Alyssa Scott and Nick Cannon. In December 2021, Zen died at five months old due to complications from choroid plexus carcinoma, a rare brain cancer (BabyNames.com (baby name database)).

Cause of death for Zen Cannon

Choroid plexus carcinoma is an aggressive pediatric brain tumor. Zen’s diagnosis and brief fight were shared publicly by Cannon and Scott (Complex (pop culture coverage)).

Alyssa Scott’s role as mother

Alyssa Scott has been open about her grief on social media, often posting tributes to Zen. She also gave birth to Halo Marie in December 2022.

Why this matters

Cannon’s rapid family expansion after Zen’s death — three more children within the following year — suggests that the loss did not slow his desire for fatherhood, but may have intensified it.

Timeline of Nick Cannon’s family expansion

  • 2008: Married Mariah Carey (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • 2011: Birth of twins Moroccan and Monroe (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • 2012: Diagnosed with lupus (Complex (pop culture coverage))
  • 2016: Divorce from Mariah Carey finalized (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • 2021: Birth of son Zen; Zen dies at 5 months from brain cancer (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • 2022-2023: Birth of additional children with Brittany Bell, Abby De La Rosa, Bre Tiesi, LaNisha Cole, and Alyssa Scott (Complex (pop culture coverage))
  • 2024: Continued public discussion of polyamory and family expansion (Complex (pop culture coverage))

Confirmed facts

  • Nick Cannon has 12 living children from 6 mothers (Complex (pop culture coverage))
  • Son Zen died from choroid plexus carcinoma in 2021 (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • He was married to Mariah Carey from 2008 to 2016 (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • He has lupus (autoimmune disease) (Complex (pop culture coverage))

What’s unclear

  • Exact number of concurrent partners at any given time (Complex (pop culture coverage))
  • Specific details of the “3 6 9 rule” in dating (no widely accepted source) (BabyNames.com (baby name database))
  • Whether all relationships are fully consensual polyamory partners (Complex (pop culture coverage))
  • The BabyNames.com article lists only eleven children, indicating a publication-date mismatch with later reporting (BabyNames.com (baby name database))

Quotes from those involved

“I never wanted to be the guy that’s like, ‘I got a bunch of kids.’ But I’m also not going to hide it. I’m proud of my family.” – Nick Cannon, reported by Complex (pop culture coverage)

“We are not monogamous. He is free to see other people and I am free to see other people.” – Bre Tiesi, as cited in BabyNames.com (baby name database)

“Our son Zen was the most precious gift. Holding him in my arms as he took his last breath was the hardest moment of my life.” – Alyssa Scott, via Instagram, referenced by Complex (pop culture coverage)

“I’ve had miscarriages. It’s something that women don’t talk about enough.” – Mariah Carey, in her memoir, as reported by multiple outlets.

For any parent navigating grief while raising a large family, the choice to keep expanding is deeply personal. For Nick Cannon, the public eye makes every fatherhood milestone a headline — and every loss a shared story.

Additional sources

youtube.com, instagram.com, facebook.com, instagram.com

For a detailed list of his 12 children, see the comprehensive guide that includes names, ages, and mothers.

Frequently asked questions

How many children does Nick Cannon have total?

He has 12 living children and one deceased son, Zen, for a total of 13 biological children.

Who is Nick Cannon’s current girlfriend?

He does not have a single partner; he is in an open relationship with Bre Tiesi and maintains co-parenting relationships with the other mothers.

What is Nick Cannon’s net worth in 2025?

Estimates place his net worth at around $25 million, earned from hosting, music, and business ventures.

Does Nick Cannon have lupus?

Yes, he was diagnosed with lupus in 2012 and has spoken publicly about managing the autoimmune condition.

How tall is Nick Cannon?

6 feet 0 inches (183 cm).

What is Nick Cannon’s real name?

Nicholas Scott Cannon.

What is the 3 6 9 rule in dating?

Nick Cannon coined this term to describe a polyamorous scheduling framework, but no definitive source explains its specifics; it is generally understood as a loose rotation of partners.

How many baby mamas does Nick Cannon have?

He has six baby mamas: Mariah Carey, Brittany Bell, Abby De La Rosa, Bre Tiesi, LaNisha Cole, and Alyssa Scott.

For readers following celebrity family structures, the Cannon saga offers a real-time case study in modern polyamory, grief, and public fatherhood. The numbers are clear — 12 children, 6 mothers, one tragic loss — but the emotional weight behind them remains deeply personal.

Bottom line: Nick Cannon has built a sprawling family across multiple relationships, publicly embracing non-monogamy while navigating the death of a child. For fans and critics alike, the choice is to take his transparency at face value or to question the sustainability of such a network; for the mothers involved, the reality is likely more complicated than any headline captures.