Nick Cannon is opening up about how his divorce from Mariah Carey shaped the path that ultimately led him to fathering 12 children.

The Masked Singer host, 44, shared that his journey to becoming a father of many began from unresolved pain and a lack of introspection following the end of his marriage.

‘I just didn’t do the work. Then suddenly, I’m looking at my 12 kids and thinking, “Wow, I might have done things differently,”‘ Cannon admitted in a candid interview. ‘Still, I stand by all my choices because I love all my kids. I cherish my family structure.’

During an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Breakfast Club, he explained that his decisions were rooted in pain following his 2016 breakup with Carey, and he now recognizes the pattern as a sign of not properly healing.

When asked directly if his parenting choices were linked to trauma, Cannon replied: ‘Yes, I’m just realizing that now. It wasn’t an act of rebellion. I was more careless, indulgent in my actions because I could, thanks to my financial capability and access to whatever and whoever I wanted.’

Looking back, Cannon admitted he wasn’t ‘mature’ enough to plan more intentionally at the time. 

Nick Cannon is opening up about how his divorce from Mariah Carey shaped the path that ultimately led him to fathering 12 children

‘Life unfolds unexpectedly, so it wasn’t like, “Oh, I’m going to have 12 kids,”‘ he explained. ‘It was more about living freely and enjoying life. Whatever happened, I could handle it.’

Now in therapy, the actor says he’s taken time to reflect and work on himself.

‘Now, approaching 45, I can reflect and think that if I had considered the process more deeply and taken the time for inner work, certain situations might have turned out differently.’

Still, he stressed he doesn’t regret fatherhood: ‘I’ve always said this, every child that I had was made out of love and they were strong relationships.’

Cannon pointed to the end of his six-year marriage as a turning point.

‘I probably would have took my time in a lot of other scenarios and for whatever reason I thought that was the answer a lot of times, like “Oh, I’m gonna figure it out over here,”‘ he admitted. ‘Now, you’re leaving trauma every step of the way instead of fixing it from its origin.’

The former Nickelodeon star also noted that his upbringing influenced his view on relationships, saying monogamy was never his natural path.

‘I’ve always understood that love happens differently, so monogamy has never really been my thing. So, I’m pretty sure that plays a part of it as well, too.’

Cannon first became a father in 2011 when Carey gave birth to twins Moroccan and Monroe. 

The Masked Singer host, 44, revealed that becoming a dad to so many kids stemmed from unresolved pain and a lack of self-reflection following the end of his marriage (seen in 2009)

he explained that his choices ‘started from a place of pain’ after his 2016 split from Carey, and that he now sees the pattern as part of not healing properly; seen in 2012

Cannon first became a father in 2011 when Carey gave birth to twins Moroccan and Monroe; seen all together in 2018

He went on to welcome three children with Brittany Bell: sons Golden Sagon and Rise Messiah and daughter Powerful Queen. 

Cannon and Abby De La Rosa also have three children together, the twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, as well as their daughter Beautiful Zeppelin. 

He and the Selling Sunset star Bre Tiesi have a son, Legendary Love, and he shares his daughter Onyx Ice with LaNisha Cole. 

Additionally, Cannon also welcomed two children with Alyssa Scott: a daughter name Halo Marie and a son named Zen, who died at just five months old in December 2021 from brain cancer.

He previously joked about being ‘done having kids’ after struggling to remember all 12 names during an interview on The Really Good Podcast.

Cannon seen with Brittany Bell and (L–R) sons Golden Sagon and Rise Messiah and daughter Powerful Queen in November in Hollywood

He and the Selling Sunset star Bre Tiesi have a son, Legendary Love (pictured) 

The actor seen with Abby De La Rosa, daughter Beautiful Zeppelin and twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir

 He also quipped that his large family stemmed from what he called a ‘king complex.’

‘I really think I’m a king,’ Cannon explained. ‘Kings need a lot of children to pack their courts.’

 In November of last year, he joked that he was a ‘busy man on Thanksgiving.’

In a December 2022 episode of The Checkup With Dr. Agus, he admitted that his ‘biggest guilt’ was not getting to ‘spend enough time with all [his] children.’

‘One, ’cause I’m constantly working, and two, because I’m just spread thin,’ he confessed.