American comedian, rapper, and actor Nick Cannon has revealed a controversial double standard when it comes to parenting the 15-year-old twins he shares with ex-wife Mariah Carey. Cannon, 45, is the father of Moroccan and Monroe, born during his eight-year marriage to the singer, 57. The couple married in 2008 after meeting at the Teen Choice Awards two years prior and finalized their divorce in 2016. Since then, they have co-parented their twins, with both children reportedly spending equal time with each parent.
In a recent episode of The TMZ Podcast, Cannon shared insights into his parenting approach, revealing a stark difference in how he monitors his son's and daughter's dating lives. While son Moroccan has been allowed to date, daughter Monroe is not permitted the same freedom. 'My son been dating and I've allowed it,' Cannon told host Towanda Robinson. When asked if his daughter had the same privilege, he responded, 'No, absolutely not.'
Acknowledging the double standard, Cannon explained, 'I'm more protective of my daughter because there's things out there that I have to protect my daughter from. As we know, there's certain types of individuals that you want to keep your daughter away from. My son, it's a different conversation when he's going out into the dating world.' He added that it would be his 'worst nightmare' if someone hurt Monroe, stating he would 'go to jail' if anyone put their hands on his daughter.
When asked when Monroe would be allowed to date, Cannon shared that they had 'made a deal.' 'If she can explain to me what's going to happen on these dates, then she can go,' he said. He also insisted that her brother would accompany her, noting that Monroe 'ain't going one-on-one with no little b*****d anywhere.' With Monroe approaching college age, Cannon acknowledged that her time away would be 'out of my control,' but he remained open to dialogue if she could 'explain it to me.'
The comments sparked widespread criticism online. Nicole asked on X, 'Is this protection or double standards?' Luhgeno agreed, pointing out that 'you can't overprotect one and underprepare the other,' describing it as 'how situations get created.' Eternallockets questioned, 'Shouldn't you be equally protective of your kids?' ZahavaEliza called the situation 'pathetic,' while Raiiydiin branded it 'f*****g weird.' Bradlee98 accused Cannon of 'keeping his daughter away from men like him.'
Cannon, who recently insured his testicles for $10 million after welcoming his 12th child, has fathered children with multiple women. After his split from Mariah, he had Golden Saigon, Rise Messiah, and Powerful Queen with Brittany Bell; Zion, Zillion, and Beautiful Zeppelin with Abby De La Rosa; son Zen (who died at five months from brain cancer) and daughter Halo with Alyssa Scott; daughter Onyx with LaNisha Cole; and Legendary Love with Selling Sunset star Bre Tiesi. When asked about plans for a 13th child, he told People Magazine, 'There's no plans on the horizon as of yet. It's so funny – everybody's always trying to get me to have more kids. It's like, 12 ain't enough?'
