Nick Cannon Gets Real About Dad Guilt and Balancing 12 Kids: 'I Feel That Guilt Daily'

Nick Cannon is opening up about the side of his life that doesn’t make the highlight reel. In a new interview with Us Weekly, the TV host and comedian admitted he feels guilt every single day about dividing his time among his 12 children while balancing work and a packed schedule. Between parent-teacher conferences, guitar lessons, and travel, he says he always wants to say yes to his kids, but work and other obligations keep getting in the way.

The 12 kids span several co-parenting relationships, including twins Moroccan and Monroe with ex-wife Mariah Carey, three children with Brittany Bell, twins Zion and Zillion with Abby De La Rosa, and Halo with Alyssa Scott. He also shares late son Zen, who died in 2021 at five months old. Cannon says his children know he loves them unconditionally and that he’s trying his best, and he credits his own unorthodox upbringing and his grandmother’s foster care for shaping his approach to fatherhood. As for whether the family is still growing? He says“right now, 12 is good.”

Meanwhile, Cannon is gearing up for his 2026 Wild‘N Out Tour, which kicks off November 10 in Oakland and marks over 25 years of the show, with original cast members returning. The tour is a full-circle moment for a franchise that launched countless comedy careers. So here’s the question: do you think a bigger family means less time for each kid? Sound off in the comments.