Nick Cannon Defends His Approach To Parenthood, How He Handles Being A Father Of 8 Kids

Talk show host Nick Cannon may be known as a television personality and a comedian, but he has made more headlines for his many children.

The star has what may be labeled as an unconventional family. He is currently a proud father of eight, but they are all not from the same mothers.

Not only has he suffered backlash for his large family and has been on the receiving end of several jokes, but he's, however, very tired of defending his decision to have many children with many partners.

Amidst the media chatter and other intrusions, the TV has come to set the records straight regarding his involvement in his children's lives. 

In an interview with Men's Health, the entertainer spoke about his involvement when he comes to his children's lives, adding that he does everything to provide his children with love and attention.

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm probably engaged throughout my children's day, more often than the average adult can be," he announced. "If I'm not physically in the same city with my kids, I'm talking to them before they go to school via FaceTime and stuff. And then when I am [in the same city, I'm] driving my kids to school, like making sure I pick 'em up."

He continued, "All of those things, making sure [I'm there for] all extracurricular activities. I'm involved in everything from coaching to having guitar lessons with my daughter every week."

He also shared that while people continued to speculate about his approach to parenthood, Cannon shared that the traditional way didn't mean a better way.

"I've seen where people believe a traditional household works, and [yet] there's a lot of toxicity in that setting," Cannon said. "It's not about what society deems is right. It's like, what makes it right for you? What brings you happiness? What allows you to have joy and how do you define family? We all define family in so many different ways."

He concluded, "I think I was blessed to be able to have an upbringing that allowed me to see so many different aspects and witness love in so many different capacities."

The TV personality explained that the publicity which was garnered by his family was due to his many years in the spotlight.

"I've lived my life in the public eye in a way where it's very authentic," he shared, per Yahoo. "I kind of put it all out there. All my emotions, all my understanding or the lack thereof, as vulnerable as I could be — I'm just like, look, I'm trying to figure it out."

He disclosed that he used his platform to embrace his vulnerability as a black man. He also shared that parenting allowed him to understand his feelings properly.

"There's a paradigm shift that's happening in the universe. There's a lot of emotion that needs to be dealt with, there's a lot of trauma and pain, and all of these things, challenging ideas that come with masculinity, that are being brought to the surface. A lot of it happens when you become a father, because now you're responsible for other people's lives."

While speaking to the magazine, the "Wild 'N Out" host disclosed that he doesn't think so much about it when people ask him if he's going to have more kids.

"People even often ask, 'Are you gonna have more, you gonna stop?' I'm like, those are questions that I don't, I don't really even sit around and think about," he said. "I'm just walking in my purpose and trying to be the best father and best provider I could possibly be."

However, prior to this, he shared on "The Language Of Love" podcast his intention to stop having more children after his eighth child, adding that he doesn't have the "bandwidth for it anymore," as reported by Insider.

Speaking about his parenting style, he shared that he didn't see himself as a "strict" parent but as a "disciplinarian."

"Because I'm the fun parent as well," he said. "I'm the dad that is a big kid, but I also respect morals, values are high on my list. And you know, we established that as early as infancy."

He concluded, "I want my kids to be able to be happy and be that as well. But long as it's rooted in respect and love. And that's the lines where we try not to break or try not to cross."