Nick Cannon says he is not the bad guy that critics have made him out to be.
In recent years, Cannon, 42, has become one of the most buzz-worthy topics, all thanks to fathering 12 children with six different women.
Across social media, critics have slammed the bankable network host for not being present for every moment in each of his children’s lives. Elsewhere online, he is criticized for having romantic relationships with multiple women, seemingly all at the same time.
Cannon shares 12-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with ex-wife Mariah Carey; Golden, 6, Powerful, 2, and 7-month-old Rise with Brittany Bell; twins Zion and Zillion, 1, and 5-month-old Beautiful with DJ Abby De La Rosa; 9-month-old Legendary with Bre Tiesi; late son Zen and 4-month-old daughter Halo with model Alyssa Scott; and 7-month-old Onyx with photographer LaNisha Cole.
The seemingly tangled web of intimacy is no easy feat to navigate for Cannon and each of the mothers of his children. But after being married to Carey for eight years, he views traditional relationships as business deals. The former child star advocates a more church-state approach to his love life.
Related: Nick Cannon Seemingly Blames His Exes for Turning Him Into Villian
In a new feature for The Los Angeles Times, he alluded to his polyamorous-like relationships as being more honest. Saying the women “know who they are.” Plus, if things go sour, the mogul who rakes in $100 million annually doesn’t have to worry about splitting his fortune. “You’re not looking to give half of what you built to someone you don’t even know,” he noted.
Despite the inescapable narratives countering the efforts he makes to be fully present during quality moments with his kids, Cannon says he is unbothered by the constant chatter. “Right now the narrative is, ‘He has a bunch of kids,’ ” he told the publication.
“But I’m really at a place now where I don’t care what people know. I’d rather just operate. It’s more about really being a good person instead of telling people you’re a good person,” said the Ncredible Entertainment CEO and co-founder. He took it a step further while addressing the public’s perception of him.
“I’ve been villainized,” he said. “I hear all the time, ‘You can’t be present for all those children.’ So therefore, I get this deadbeat dad title.”
Other comments include: “Nick Cannon can offer his kids financial support, thassit. Not emotional support or stability.”
“I feel like Nick Cannon was doing s–t not realizing how far this s–t goes fr do I think he’s a bad father, idk. Do I think he’s doing a horrible job so far, absolutely.”
In previous interviews, the “She Ball” actor has admitted he is not at every recital, but he regularly does school drop-offs and anchors his hectic schedule around the slew of activities that his children participate in, and, at times, brings his offspring to work.
“It’s not about what I do for you or what I say to you, it’s about how you feel when I’m with you. If you feel loved when you see your dad, that’s what’s gonna resonate,” he said in defense of his fatherhood journey.
Michael Goldman, Cannon’s longtime manager, says the comedian “is the most misunderstood person I’ve ever encountered.” Whether he is misunderstood or not, it is evident that the entertainer is living life on his own terms.
