Since stepping into the spotlight in the early 2000s, Nick Cannon has gradually built a name for himself as a comedian, musician, and talk show host. In recent years, the Wild N’ Out star has gained notoriety for pursuing romantic relationships and having children with several women at a time.

Related: Bre Tiesi Says She’s Open To More Kids With Nick Cannon After Slamming Him For Not Paying Child Support

Since ending his six-year marriage with pop music sensation Mariah Carey in 2014, Cannon has been linked to several women, including Heidi Klum, Jessica White, Sherise Cromwell, and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. In just eight years, Nick Cannon has managed to father twelve children with five different women (Abby De La Rosa, Alyssa Scott, Brittany Bell, LaNisha Cole, and Bre Tiesi).

Here’s what Cannon has said about his polyamorous lifestyle and why he might never pursue a monogamous relationship.

8 Nick Cannon Practices Consensual Non-Monogamy

Nick Cannon on the red carpet
via: Instar

Nick Cannon divorce from Mariah Carey marked the end of a six-year monogamy streak. Since then, The Masked Singer star has been pursuing non-monogamous relationships with multiple women. Cannon has been very open about his relationship choices, and all the women that have associated with the celebrity are fully aware of what their relationship with Cannon will be like. Cannon has no interest in fully settling down with any of the women he is seeing.

“One of my therapists coined what I do as consensual non-monogamy,” he disclosed in a YouTube Live interview with DVSN. “Because to even pretend like I’m in a monogamous relationship, that would be misleading.”

7 Nick Cannon Believes That Monogamy Is A Eurocentric Concept

Will Nick Cannon's kids inherit his lupus disease?
via: Instar

Though he once practiced monogamy with ex-wife Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon no longer believes in the relationship concept. Cannon has fully sworn off monogamy, and he now considers it a Eurocentric concept that he wants no part of.

“That’s a Eurocentric concept,” he declared during a 2021 interview with Vermilion County First. “The idea that you’re supposed to have this one person for the rest of your life. The idea that a man should have one woman. We shouldn’t have anything. I have no ownership over this person.”

6 Nick Cannon Considers Monogamy Unhealthy

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon pose for photos
Via: Instar

Despite having practiced monogamy at several points in his life, Nick Cannon believes that monogamous relationships are downright unhealthy. “I’ve practiced monogamy, I’ve been a cheater, I’ve been toxic,” he told R&B duo DVSN. "I don't think monogamy is healthy. I feel like that gets into the space of selfishness and ownership."

Since he considers monogamy to be unhealthy, Cannon now takes a different approach to his relationships. He wants his partner to feel and be free, meaning they can also see whomever else they please. Cannon's commitment to women is no longer determined by how he spends his free time.

Related: Nick Cannon Slammed With Emotional Abuse Allegations By Ex Jessica White Who Says She’s “The First Person To Talk About It”

5 Nick Cannon Does Not See Himself In A Monogamous Relationship

Bre Tiesi in LA
Via Instar 

Nick Cannon's faith in monogamy has been eroded to the extent that he doesn’t see himself pursuing another monogamous relationship. Instead, Cannon chooses to have relationships with various women, including Bre Tiesi and Alyssa Scott.

“I think I’ll never be able to be with just one woman again,” he said in a 2019 interview with T.I’s ExpediTIously podcast. “Like, that’s gon’ be tough for me. I did it in marriage! I was very faithful in my marriage…the whole time I was married… But I knew I would never get married again.”

4 Nick Cannon Has A Different Perspective On Family

Nick Cannon with four of his kids posed by Christmas tree for the holidays
via: Instagram

Nick Cannon is also not so quick to buy into the conventional definition of family, which rarely takes into account polyamorous couples. The former talk show host often fiercely defends his non-traditional view of family. He is completely comfortable having children with various women, and he considers everyone he is related to or linked to as his family. Though his baby mamas may not interact that much, they are all connected through their relation to Cannon.

“I’ve seen where people believe a traditional household works, and [yet] there’s a lot of toxicity in that setting. It’s not about what society deems is right,” he said in a recent interview with Men’s Health. “We all define family in so many different ways.”

Related: Nick Cannon’s Baby Mamas Are Beginning To Turn On Him, Here's Why

3 Nick Cannon Lets His Partners Take The Lead On Having Children

Nick Cannon, Golden Cannon, and Brittany Bell
Instar: Faye's Vision/Cover Images

While Nick Cannon has fathered multiple children with several women, he is often not the sole architect of these developments. In his interview with Vermilion County First, Cannon disclosed that he almost always lets his partners decide whether to have children with him. He has also made it clear that all of his children were planned, and none were born by accident.

“Those women, and all women, are the ones that open themselves up and say, ‘I would like to allow this man into my world and I will birth this child,'” he said. “It ain’t my decision. I’m just following suit.”

2 All Of Nick Cannon’s Partners Are Aware Of His Lifestyle

inside Nick Cannon's lupus battle
via: Instar

Most fans assume that Nick Cannon railroads his partners into open relationships. However, as the star told Vermilion County First, all his partners choose to pursue a relationship with him while fully aware of his lifestyle. None of Cannon's baby mamas have been persuaded into being with the star, they have all wanted the polyamorous family structure Cannon has created.

“When you really look at how the family infrastructure is designed, the woman is the one that always leads and makes decisions,” he said. “Everyone is like, ‘How is he convincing these women?’ … But I’m not. I’m the one in the scenario who has to follow suit on what they decide.”

1 How Does Nick Cannon Feel About His Baby Mamas?

Why Do Women Keep Agreeing To Have Kids With Nick Cannon?
Via Instar

Nick Cannon currently shares twelve children with his six baby mamas, one of whom being his ex-wife Mariah Carey. Fans are constantly wondering how Cannon is able to juggle his time between the kids, and even some stars on Selling Sunset were concerned about his choices. While his lifestyle might seem unconventional to some, the Wild N’ Out star has enough love to go around. Though it may not be a perfect structure, Cannon does his best to be present for all of his children.

“I love my children. I love the people that I’m involved with,” he told Men’s Health. “I’m just walking in my purpose and trying to be the best father and best provider I could possibly be.”