Editor’s note: The original August 2022 version of this article was lost. The Lee Daily Register rebuilt it in October 2026 from the reporting cited below, and added what happened afterward. The original version said Nick Cannon had seven children and called his son Zen his eighth child. Neither was accurate: Zen was his seventh child, and Cannon had become a father for the eighth time in June 2022. The original also gave date ranges for several relationships that we could not confirm, so this version sticks to what Cannon, his partners and credible outlets have reported.
Nick Cannon, the host of “The Masked Singer” and “Wild ‘N Out,” has eight children with five women, including his son Zen, who died in December 2021. Two more babies were expected as of this week. This week, he shared a maternity video on Instagram announcing that Brittany Bell is expecting their third child, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported. FOX 11 also reported that Abby De La Rosa revealed in June that she was five months pregnant.
Here is the timeline, limited to what Cannon, the mothers or credible outlets have reported. Counts are as of Aug. 25, 2022.
2007: A Times Square proposal
In May 2007, Cannon proposed to Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks with a message on a giant screen in Times Square and a 15-carat ring he had helped design. By early October, the couple had parted ways “for the time being,” and a publicist said the two were taking a break to focus on their careers, The Associated Press reported in an October 2007 report. We found no later reporting in the sources we read on whether they reunited.
2008 to 2016: Marriage to Mariah Carey
Cannon was married to Mariah Carey from 2008 to 2016. Their twins, Moroccan and Monroe, were born in 2011, according to FOX 11. They were his first children.
After the marriage: a growing family
After the marriage ended, Cannon had children with three more partners, according to ABC’s “Good Morning America” and FOX 11:
- Brittany Bell, a former Miss Universe Guam, according to FOX 11: son Golden, 5, and daughter Powerful Queen, who turns 2 in December
- Abby De La Rosa: twin sons Zion and Zillion, who turned 1 on June 14, 2022
- Alyssa Scott: son Zen, born in June 2021
Zen died in December 2021 at 5 months old. Cannon announced the death on his daytime talk show, saying his son had died of hydrocephalus, an abnormal buildup of fluid on the brain, which he described as a malignant, midline brain tumor, NBC News reported. Zen was his seventh child.
2022: Bre Tiesi, and two more on the way
On June 28, 2022, model Bre Tiesi gave birth at home to their son, Legendary. It was Cannon’s eighth child and the couple’s first together. Tiesi announced the birth on Instagram on July 25, according to GMA. FOX 11 reported that she was previously married to quarterback Johnny Manziel and will appear in the new season of Netflix’s “Selling Sunset.”
Bell’s pregnancy was announced on Aug. 24, about two months after Legendary’s birth. FOX 11 reported that it was unclear when she was due. With De La Rosa also expecting, Cannon was set to have 10 children if both pregnancies ended in births.
What happened next
By late December 2022, CNN counted 12 children. Its list shows that, after this article’s original date, model LaNisha Cole had a daughter with Cannon, Onyx Ice Cole, and that Bell had a son, Rise Messiah, and De La Rosa a daughter, Beautiful Zeppelin.
On Dec. 14, 2022, Alyssa Scott gave birth to their daughter, Halo Marie, about a year after Zen’s death. Scott announced the birth on Instagram and wrote that she knew Zen’s spirit was with them in the room, CNN reported, in a December 29, 2022 report.
