It takes a village to raise children, as the saying goes. And in Nick Cannon‘s case, that village includes not one, not two, but six baby mamas (so far).
In recent years, the Masked Singer host has become famous for being, well, fertile. He was already a dad to three kids when he welcomed his fourth in December of 2020, an occasion that marked the start of a baby-making marathon during which he fathered eight more children in the span of two years. Need a math check? That’s a total of 12 kiddos, starting with the twins he shares with superstar ex-wife Mariah Carey and ending, for the moment — ’cause who knows if another pregnancy announcement is coming? — with a baby girl he and model Alyssa Scott welcomed in December 2022.
Billboard has been covering the Nick Cannon baby beat since day one, from his many birth announcements to his vasectomy deliberations to the jokes famous friends such as Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds have made at his expense.
But it’s about time his children’s mothers got some recognition of their own, because — let’s be honest — when it comes to actually carrying the baby and giving birth, they do all of the work. But on top of that, these women are impressive in their own rights and should be highlighted for their accomplishments as singers, actresses, models and moguls on top of being loving mothers.
So, in the spirit of giving some due respect on the title “baby mama,” keep reading to find out more about the six women Nick Cannon has had children with.
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Mariah Carey
Image Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/GI for VEVO Kids with Nick: Twins Moroccan and Monroe (born April 30, 2011)
What she does: Oh, you know. This and that. In addition to having five Grammys, 19 No. 1 songs and 28 in the Billboard Hot 100‘s top 10, Mariah Carey is one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
“He was a good guy. He was faith-based. He was ambitious,” Carey wrote in her 2020 memoir of her six-year marriage to Cannon, which ended in divorce in 2014. “He had been in the entertainment industry for a long time, so he understood the madness. He paid attention to me.”
“Honestly, I think Nick and I could have worked it out between the two of us, but egos and emotions got inflamed (which can translate into many billable lawyer hours, and ultimately it did),” she added. “It was tough. We both wanted to make sure everything was cool for our family. We will always be family, and we make it work.”
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Brittany Bell
Image Credit: Jerod Harris/GI Kids with Nick: Golden Sagon (born Feb. 21, 2017), Powerful Queen (born Dec. 23, 2020) and Rise Messiah (born in September 2022)
What she does: Bell has a lot of credits up her sleeve in addition to being a mom of three. She’s known for winning Miss Guam and competing in the Miss Universe pageant in 2014, and hosts a podcast called The Mama Gang on top of pursuing a doctorate in psychology.
“One of the most hard working men in the world,” Bell wrote of Cannon on Instagram on Father’s Day in 2017. “Anything he does, he does well and beyond– but I must say it is a blessing to see him do his best job of them all… being a wonderful daddy. You are THE best dad. Golden glows when daddy makes him smile.”
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Abby De La Rosa
Image Credit: Phillip Faraone/GI for REVOLT Kids with Nick: Twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir (born June 14, 2021), and Beautiful Zeppelin (born Nov. 11, 2022)
What she does: De La Rosa has worked as a DJ and a radio personality, known for interviewing artists on Los Angeles’ Real 92.3.
“I’m excited for my kids to grow up and be like, ‘Mom and Dad, y’all did it your way and I love that,'” De La Rosa said of her polyamorous relationship with Cannon during a 2022 podcast appearance. “I hope my kids can eventually do it their way, whatever that may be in whatever capacity that is. To do it their way, not the way that the world wants them to do … to do it their way the way mom and dad did.”
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Alyssa Scott
Kids with Nick: Zen (born June 23, 2021, died in December 2021) and Halo Marie (born Dec. 14, 2022)
What she does: Scott is an Instagram influencer and has been modeling since she was a teenager, previously appearing on Cannon’s long-running sketch comedy show Wild ‘N Out.
“I will remember the sound of Nicks voice saying ‘it’s a girl’ and the look of everything we’ve been through flash across his face,” Scott recalled of the delivery of the pair’s daughter, Halo, who arrived almost exactly a year after their first child together, Zen, died at five months from a brain tumor.
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Bre Tiesi
Image Credit: Jerritt Clark/GI for Abyss By Abby Kids with Nick: Legendary Love (born in July 2022)
What she does: Tiesi is also a model who appeared on his show Wild ‘N Out. She now works as a luxury real estate agent in Los Angeles on Netflix’s reality TV show Selling Sunset, has her own YouTube channel and was featured on the reality show WAGS.
“I think some people have their idea of conventional relationships and certain things, but we have a beautiful relationship,” Tiesi said of Cannon a March 2022 interview. “We actually have a very long history; we’re going on almost a decade.”
“We’re all very supportive,” she added of the mutual respect between all of Cannon’s other baby mamas. “We just respect that that’s your family, this is ours, and you need anything, we’re here … I feel like, as adults, our kids are gonna be together and things like that, so I don’t think there’ll ever be an issue. I don’t know of any issues. Definitely won’t be one with me.”
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LaNisha Cole
Image Credit: Jesse Grant/WireImage Kids with Nick: Onyx Ice (born Sept. 14, 2022)
What she does: LaNisha is a model and actress whose credits include The Price Is Right and Deal or No Deal. She’s also a film producer and photographer.
“Coparenting is a breeze when you see eye to eye,” Cole wrote on her Instagram story in December 2022. “It’s all about this little one, our Onyx. Nick was playing ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ by Stevie Wonder in the delivery room to welcome Onyx into the world. My heart smiles every time I hear this song. It will forever be special. It’s her song. Teamwork makes the dream work.”