Nick Cannon and the art of the baby daddy

He may be ‘non-traditional’ but at least he values life

Nick Cannon (Getty)
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It seems that every time I read the Daily Mail, singer/actor/television host Nick Cannon is welcoming another child.

“Nick Cannon shares adorable snaps of his newborn daughter while preparing for the birth of his 11th child,” a DM headline reported on Tuesday.

Every time he meets his latest baby, Cannon seems blown away by the miracle that is life. And every time I see a photo of his latest child, I am blown away by the insanity that is Nick Cannon’s life. Is he a model baby daddy or a phony skeeze?

Cannon’s football team of offspring is…

It seems that every time I read the Daily Mail, singer/actor/television host Nick Cannon is welcoming another child.

“Nick Cannon shares adorable snaps of his newborn daughter while preparing for the birth of his 11th child,” a DM headline reported on Tuesday.

Every time he meets his latest baby, Cannon seems blown away by the miracle that is life. And every time I see a photo of his latest child, I am blown away by the insanity that is Nick Cannon’s life. Is he a model baby daddy or a phony skeeze?

Cannon’s football team of offspring is the product of — intimacies? (“relationship” seems like a stretch) — with six women. “In 2021,” reports Insider, “Cannon had four children with three different women in less than a year.” (To Cannon’s credit, four of his brood are two sets of twins, so he only impregnated these women a total of nine times.)

Now, with just these facts to go on, many would justifiably assume Cannon is something of a cad. But as I noted before, he professes excitement each time his family tree grows another branch, and as far as I can tell, he follows through on what he considers his “job” of caring for all his kids.

“Another Blessing!!!” Cannon proclaimed in an Instagram post last month, along with a slow-motion video of his family. “As my journey on this planet becomes more and more remarkable and unfathomable, all I can do is thank God and continue to ask the Most High to order my steps. He has given me stewardship and dominion over a family dynamic that to some is unimaginable. But more importantly he has blessed me with loving individuals to guide me with care through this purposeful life.”

That lengthy post (I’ve only quoted half of it) was published on September 30 to celebrate the arrival of his latest child, Rise Messiah Cannon. Fifteen days prior, Cannon “secretly” welcomed baby Onyx with LaNisha Cole. According to the Daily Mail, which must have a Nick Cannon’s Offspring beat reporter on staff, Cannon “is also currently preparing for the birth of his 11th child with Abby De La Rosa.”

I’m not sure why Baby Onyx was welcomed “secretly,” or why his “secret” was broadcast on social media, but De La Rosa attested to People magazine that being one of Cannon’s women ain’t such a bad gig (except for the public scrutiny). She said that when she got together with Cannon, his track record for relationships “had intensified” and she faced backlash for being involved. Cannon “had a lover over here that, they were going strong and they had been involved for years. Then he had another beautiful family over here that he has. And then he has his ex-wife, who’s the queen of all queens.” Nonetheless, De La Rosa said, “I love where I’m at.”

When Cannon celebrated his birthday a few days ago, his baby mamas took turns wishing him well. One of them said Cannon is “the best thing that’s ever happened” to her, while De La Rosa said she and her children are “beyond grateful” for Cannon and all that he does. She also gifted her baby daddy a kite with a photo of him and their twins on it. Cannon thanked her, writing, “Anybody who knows me knows one of my favorite and most therapeutic pastimes is flying kites, especially with my children!”

Cannon has his share of haters, or perhaps more precisely, skeptics. On the kite post, for instance, many users chimed in with implications that Cannon’s happy harem is a lie, while others implied he is behaving irresponsibly. “Please fly those kites, instead of…..” wrote one. “This is mess and you know it,” wrote another. “My father was a libra man and just caused destruction with all his children from different women. This is not a fairytale and you have to see it’s not. Stop posting this mess and just live your life.”

Obviously, people tend to use social media to project the perfect life, and Cannon could very well be a sleazebag with an excellent PR firm. It’s hard to believe the hunky-dory polyamorous “blended family” really works, as King Solomon couldn’t even figure it out. But all those baby mamas chose to co-parent with him, repeatedly. And they have yet to call him out for dereliction of daddy duty.

Cannon also seems — judging from interviews, social media posts, and some of his music — to revel in fatherhood, with constant photos of his kids and captions bragging about their accomplishments. He says he Facetimes them when he’s out of town, picks them up from school when he’s there, and tries to manage what they see online.

Perhaps Cannon has taken to heart the adage that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. He once said, “I want my kids to understand that every child isn’t as fortunate as they are. I want [them] to grow up helping others. I was raised by my grandmother. We were low-income, but she was always taking in foster kids. She would help anyone, and it was a good lesson for me growing up.”

So maybe Cannon wants a world full of generous people, and he’s taking it upon himself to make them. Whether Nick Cannon is an egotistical psycho or a good and loving, albeit misguided, dad is anyone’s guess. But the fact that Cannon is very boldly proclaiming his faith in God and the value of every single life he helps create, especially in a day and age when abortion is center-stage, is remarkable.

I guess my conclusion is: if you’re going to be a “non-traditional” baby daddy, be like Nick Cannon.