Nick Cannon Sets The Record Straight About Celibacy Journey Amid Latest Baby News

Nick Cannon's fatherhood journey has been anything but ordinary. Cannon is mourning the December 2021 death of his 5-month-old son Zen, who died from a brain tumor. "He was just, like, the most loving," Cannon said of his late son on his talk show. "We called him Z Chilling. He was always smiling. He had the most beautiful spirit." As he and ex-girlfriend Alyssa Scott grieve their son's death, Cannon reflected on the experience on his show, saying, "You can't heal until you feel."

The "Wild 'N Out" host first became a father when he welcomed twins Monroe and Moroccan with then-wife Mariah Carey in 2011. Cannon and his ex Brittany Bell welcomed two children together, son Golden in 2017 and daughter Powerful in 2020. Cannon welcomed another set of twins, Zion and Zillion, in June 2021 with ex-girlfriend Abby De La Rosa about a week before Scott gave birth to Zen. While Cannon's growing family shocked some, the "Masked Singer" host assured fans each child was planned. "I'm having these kids on purpose," he claimed on his Power 106 radio show, per Page Six. "I didn't have no accident." Cannon still surprised audiences when he revealed he would be welcoming his eighth child, a son, with model Bre Tiesi.

Following the news of Cannon's family expansion, the star announced he went on a celibacy journey and recently opened up about why he made that personal choice.

Nick Cannon was celibate for his mental health

From the death of his youngest son and preparing to welcome another child, to kicking off "The Nick Cannon Show," Nick Cannon revealed he began his celibacy journey to "deal with" the chaos in his life. "My therapist was one of the ones who said that I should probably be celibate, and the reason why is because I had shared that news, about Bre [Tiesi] being pregnant," Cannon said on his talk show on January 31. "I was like, 'I've got to get my life under control,'" he explained, "because I felt like I was out of control and, honestly, the celibacy did help me through the journey of getting one with myself, being able to deal with this."

Cannon also announced his celibate period is over, and while being a father of many is a "challenge," welcoming even more kids in the future isn't out of the cards. "I wanna be the best father I can possibly be, but I'm not counting out [ever] having any more children," he said.

In the wake of Cannon's controversial family announcement, Cannon's ex-girlfriend Alyssa Scott is speaking out about his choice to be a father again after their son Zen died. "It's important for me to let you all know.. I am centered, I am at peace," she continued. "I look at everyone's predicament with loving eyes. I will not judge."