Nick Cannon Reveals He Needs to 'Generate at Least $100 Million a Year,’ Rejects ‘Deadbeat Dad’ Criticism

Nick Cannon is tired of being “villainized” for having so many children.

In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, the father of 12 spoke on this narrative of him being a hands-off father or a “deadbeat dad.”

“Right now the narrative is, ‘He has a bunch of kids.’ But I’m really at a place now where I don’t care what people know,” he said. “I’d rather just operate. It’s more about really being a good person instead of telling people you’re a good person.”

The 42-year-old continued, “I hear all the time: ‘You can’t be present for all those children.’ So, therefore, I get this deadbeat dad title.”

He revealed to the newspaper that he estimates his annual income is in the nine-figure range. “When you think about my lifestyle, I have to generate at least $100 million a year.”

He said he makes more than $20 million from hosting The Masked Singer, and has more earnings from his radio show The Daily Cannon, two sports bars, his record label Ncredible, and acting gigs.

Nick said that more than anything, being available to his kids is what’s most important. “It’s not about what I do for you or what I say to you, it’s about how you feel when I’m with you,” he said. “If you feel loved when you see your dad, that’s what’s gonna resonate.”

Nick Cannon has fathered 12 children with six women. He shares twins with ex-wife Mariah Carey, three children with Brittany Bell, three with Abby De La Rosa, one with Bre Tiesi, one with LaNisha Cole, and another with Alyssa Scott. He and Scott tragically lost their first child together to brain cancer in 2021.