Nick Cannon Opens Up About Being a Dad of 11: "I Can Affect So Much"

If you couldn't tell by his own personal baby boom, Nick Cannon loves being a dad. The television host recently sat down with Kevin Hart for the comedian's "Hart to Hart" talk show to discuss the joy and pressure of fatherhood. Though he was able to poke fun at himself, Cannon stressed that fatherhood was part of his life's purpose. "Don't put me on the spot," he laughed. "I like children, dammit."

Cannon has 11 kids and is currently expecting his 12th, but despite his growing roster of children, aspects of childrearing still surprise him. "Me and Mariah's twins are gonna be preteens, and I'm like, 'Damn, I didn't know that was going to turn into that and watch a legacy come out of that,'" Cannon said of his 11-year-olds, Monroe and Moroccan, whom he shares with Mariah Carey.

Cannon also shared an important lesson he's learned: with lifelong legacy comes great responsibility. "[Being a father] gives me the ability to say, 'I can affect so much,'" he said. Cannon proceeded to share his intention to use his influence wisely by standing firmly in who he is while letting his children know it's OK to be a work in progress. "Now I have to be man enough to stand firm in who I am so that I can be an example to them," Cannon said. "I'll never try to get it right. I'll never try to be that perfect example." He added, "I ain't trying to be a role model, because a role model is something you play. . . . We just out here trying to be authentic, we trying to be 'real models.'"