12 most surprising moments in Nick Cannon's career

In March 2013, the "Masked Singer" host made several jokes about using corporal punishment with his twins, Moroccan and Monroe, if they misbehave.

He told Us Weekly that in preparation for his kids with singer Mariah Carey turning 2 at the time that April: "I got my belt out already! It's ready."

Nick Cannon later told TMZ: "[Carey] doesn't need to handle" the corporal punishment, because "that's what daddies are for."

After his comments received backlash, Cannon took to Twitter to defend them: "I was spanked therefore I shall spank," he wrote. "My momma did a good job! LOL."

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight about his divorce from Carey in 2016, Cannon revealed that his children with the "Hero" singer think he is a "player."

During the interview, he said: "It's the funniest thing, my kids call me a player. I was like, 'Who taught you that word? Who's been talking to you?' And [Moroccan's] like, 'Dad you can't be a player forever.' I'm like, this is the worst."

Cannon and Carey got married in 2008 but decided to divorce in 2014 and co-parent their two children. After the split, "The Masked Singer" host had a third child with Miss Arizona USA Brittany Bell.

On an episode of his ViacomCBS podcast "Cannon's Class" in June, Cannon interviewed the rapper Professor Griff, who has provoked backlash for anti-Semitic comments.

On the podcast, Cannon spoke about anti-Semitic conspiracy theories involving the Rothschild family, a famous Jewish family involved in the banking business, and said that Black people were the "true Hebrews."

After the comments received backlash, ViacomCBS said in a statement to Variety that the company, which had been working with Cannon since the 1990s, ended their relationship with the former "America's Got Talent" host.

"ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind and we categorically denounce all forms of anti-Semitism," the company said. "While we support ongoing education and dialogue in the fight against bigotry, we are deeply troubled that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism, and we are terminating our relationship with him. We are committed to doing better in our response to incidents of anti-Semitism, racism, and bigotry."

Following this announcement, Cannon wrote a Twitter thread apologizing for his comments and he deleted the video of the podcast off of YouTube.

In September 2021, Cannon told Entertainment Tonight that his therapist had advised him to be celibate.

This advice came after the comedian had four more children since December 2020: a daughter with Bell, twins with DJ Abby De La Rosa, and a son with model Alyssa Scott.

Cannon told ET that he didn't entirely agree with celibacy but he would consider taking a "break from having kids."

A week later, Cannon said on Revolt's "Drink Champs" that he will be celibate until 2022.

"I have enough children, enough frolicking, I'm good right now," the 41-year-old entertainer said.

After announcing that he was having another baby in January 2022, Cannon clarified that his therapist originally advised him to be celibate after hearing the eighth child had been conceived.

In the Drink Champs interview, Cannon also spoke about the breakdown of his relationship with Kim Kardashian. The pair dated in 2007 around the time Kardashian's sex tape with her ex-boyfriend Ray J was leaked.

Cannon said that their relationship was "getting serious" even though Kardashian had previously stated in her 2007 Complex cover interview that they "were never really a couple."

"She broke my heart," he said. "Then, it started being these rumors going around that it was this tape. When I asked her about it, she denied it."

Cannon added: "I just knew at that time, all my team was like, 'Abort mission.'"

In 2012, the "Wild N Out" host said on "The Howard Stern Show" that the pair broke up when Kardashian "lied" about the existence of the tape, which Cannon claimed Ray J had warned him about.

In November, Cannon took part in a two-way interview with Andy Cohen in a segment on his talk show called "Plead the Fifth." During the segment, Cohen asked the host to name his "favorite baby mama."

Despite the audience chanting for Cannon to plead the fifth, the talk show host decided to answer the question saying: "I got this. I ain't scared of you, Andy. My favorite baby mama is the next one because some of my past ones could still be my next one."

At the time, Cannon was a father of seven, however, unbeknownst to the public until January 2022, the former "America's Got Talent" host knew that he was expecting an eighth child with another woman when he answered this question.

Cannon said he doesn't like his partners using sex toys in the bedroom during his talk show "The Nick Cannon Show" on January 25.

The rapper said during a "Man Panel" that he sees those toys as "competition" in bed.

"I'm a pleaser and if I'm not the one pleasing, then I don't need another object in the room because I'm trying to be as sensual and as connected as possible," he said. "That, to me, is a distraction."

Cannon continued: "And I'm open to all types of things, but if it's something that is gonna bring you pleasure beyond what I can do — again, maybe that's an insecurity, but I don't want no competition."

On a similar panel a week beforehand, Cannon revealed that another insecurity he has for being intimate is his body.

"I've been skinny my whole life therefore I have never liked to be completely naked, I hide under the covers," the comedian said. "As much as I boast about being in shape."

On Valentines Day in 2022, Cannon released a new track "Alone" that seemed to make multiple references to the "Gigolo" rapper's ex-wife Carey.

The song samples Carey's 1990 track "Love Takes Time," and a press release for the single, seen by Entertainment Weekly, said the song was an "ode" to Carey that speaks to how Cannon feels about her and their split.

At one point in the song Cannon raps: "As much as I want you back / It's probably better where you at / Cause I'm still running the streets / I'm still all in the sheets / Having babies, models and singers and actresses saying they pregnant by me."

Cannon and Carey had been divorced since 2016 and Cannon had also moved on to have children with multiple other women.

However, this is not the first time Cannon has spoken about his divorce in his songs. In the 2016 freestyle rap "Divorce Papers" the rapper particularly spoke about how the arrangement affected his children.

Cannon said on "The Language of Love" podcast in February that he believes that monogamy, the practice of having romantic and sexual relationships with one partner, isn't "healthy."

The TV personality told host, Dr. Laura Berman, about polyamory in light of his public relationships with multiple women.

"Married is not single," he said. "When you allow the government and paperwork to come in and say, 'This is a bond, this is a covenant,' you're not single."

He continued: "You can still make covenants without getting the government involved, where two people say, 'We choose to be monogamous because we value this so much, we don't want anyone to be a part of this energy we have,' and I don't feel like that's healthy. I don't think monogamy is healthy. I feel like that gets into the space of selfishness and ownership."

At this point, Cannon was expecting another child with Bre Tiesi.

In August 2021, Cannon had already said that he doesn't "subscribe to monogamy" on "The Breakfast Club" radio show.

"That's a Eurocentric concept when you think about the ideas of you're supposed to have this one person for the rest of your life," Cannon added. "And really that's just to classify property when you think about it."

On an episode of his talk show in February, Cannon said that he finds intimacy with a pregnant woman "the most amazing turn-on."

When asked about how men feel about having sex with pregnant women during the "Man Panel" of his talk show, Cannon replied: "I'm going to be honest, it's the most amazing turn-on. When you see a woman that's bearing your child, it's magical, it's God-like."

He continued: "Especially during that process. I know sometimes you think when you're pregnant you might get a little insecure because your body is not how it normally is, but your body is doing something that my body can't."

Cannon's latest partner Bre Tiesi was pregnant with his eighth child.

On March 10, Cannon confirmed that his talk show had not been renewed for a second season.

Variety reported that staff at "The Nick Cannon Show" were informed the same day Cannon announced the cancellation of the show and they were told that this would be the final day of production.

However, Cannon laughed it off during the "Rumor Report with Angela Yee" segment of the talk show saying the cancellation was just part of "show business."

"We know the biggest word in that is business and this is a business," Cannon said. "As a businessman, I know that as much fun as we have on the show, business is the thing that makes this whole thing tick and operate."

The TV personality was already the host of Fox's "The Masked Singer" and MTV show "Wild 'N Out."