Nick Cannon had a bit of an awkward moment during a recent appearance on The Really Good Podcast with host Bobbi Althoff, when he stumbled while trying to recall the names of all 12 of his children. The clip has since gone viral, with fans on social media poking fun at Cannon’s apparent memory lapse—and criticizing what some see as a symptom of overextending his parenting capacity.
During the interview, Cannon initially joked about his forgetfulness by challenging Althoff to name 12 U.S. states off the top of her head. But when the topic turned personal, Cannon attempted to name each of his kids, only to trip up mid-list. “I usually get in trouble… I’ll lay them all out for you, keep me honest,” he said before listing, “There’s ‘Roc, ‘Roe, Golden, Powerful, Rise, Onyx, Legendary, Zion, Zillion, Zen.” When Althoff asked how many that was, Cannon laughed and admitted he wasn’t sure how many were left.
Social media had a field day with the moment. “Nick Cannon named all his kids after armor variations and ranks from Halo: Reach. I’m bawling my fcking eyes out,” joked one user on X. Another wrote, “That sh*t not even funny lol bro lame for tryna act like that should be a hard thing to know off top.”
Cannon, 43, has 12 children with six different women. He shares his eldest, twins Moroccan and Monroe, with pop icon Mariah Carey. He also has three children with Brittany Bell (Golden Sagon, Powerful Queen, and Rise Messiah), three with Abby De La Rosa (Zion Mixolydian, Zillion Heir, and Beautiful Zeppelin), one with Bre Tiesi (Legendary Love), and one with LaNisha Cole (Onyx Ice Cole). His youngest daughter, Halo Marie, is with Alyssa Scott. Cannon and Scott also had a son named Zen, who tragically passed away in 2021 at just five months old due to brain cancer.
While critics question his ability to be equally present in all of his children’s lives, Cannon has maintained that fatherhood is one of his greatest joys. “Every day I just wake up excited as a father,” he told People in 2022. “I’m so excited about all my kids. Constantly, from every aspect of it. From them getting citizen of the month awards in the first grade to the birth of the new ones.”
Still, this latest flub has only reignited the ongoing conversation about Cannon’s unconventional parenting journey—and whether quantity might be undermining quality.