‘Careless’ Nick Cannon claims becoming a 12-time dad was ‘trauma response’ to Mariah Carey divorce

Nick Cannon was “Wild ‘N Out” after his and Mariah Carey’s divorce.

The “Masked Singer” host admitted on “The Breakfast Club” Monday that being a 12-time father was a “trauma response” from the breakup.

The actor, 44, called his actions “careless” and “frivolous.”

“If I would have did the work [and] the healing after getting divorced, I probably would have took my time in a lot other scenarios,” he explained.

“For whatever reason, I thought that was the answer a lot of times, like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna figure it out over here.’ Now, you’re leaving trauma every step of the way instead of fixing it from its origin.”

Host Charlamagne Tha God shared a clip of the interview via Instagram, writing, “Trauma response can show up in people’s lives in many ways!”

Cannon welcomed twins Moroccan and Monroe, now 14, while married to Carey, 56, from 2008 to 2016.

After calling it quits with the singer, the former Nickelodeon star moved on with Brittany Bell, with whom he shares son Golden, 8, daughter Powerful, 4, and son Rise, 2.

The “Drumline” star is also the father of three kids with Abby De La Rosa — twin sons Zion and Zillion, 4, and daughter Beautiful, 2.

Additionally, Cannon welcomed daughter Onyx, 3, with Lanisha Cole, son Legendary, 3, with Bre Tiesi and daughter Halo, 2, with Alyssa Scott.

His and Scott’s first child together, son Zen, died in December 2021.

Looking back on his family’s expansion on Monday, Cannon said, “I had the money. … I had the access to whoever and however I wanted to move. Then, obviously, life happens as well.

“It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna go have 12 kids,'” he added. “It was more about, like, ‘Yo, I’m just gonna live life and have fun and whatever happens, happens. I can handle it.'”

The “All That” alum noted that while he wasn’t “acting out,” he could have “thought the process through a little bit more” and taken “time to actually do the inner work.”

Cannon told radio listeners, “Things might have been a little different in certain scenarios.”

Social media users had mixed reactions to the rapper’s confession, with many “proud” fans praising Cannon for his “mature” and transparent” revelation.

Others, however, claimed it shouldn’t have “taken 12 kids to figure it out,” with one quipping, “Imagine being his kid and hearing this 😭.”

In March, Cannon insisted on the “We Playin’ Spades” podcast that he is “not done” having children.

As for whether the “Wild’ N Out” host would conceive baby No. 13 with a new woman or a former partner, he said, “I don’t know. That’s the thing. I leave it to the Lord.”