Nick Cannon is clearing the air about the rumors that he and ex-wife Mariah Carey are rekindling their romance.
“I’ve heard we’re getting back together,” he told Us Weekly of the hearsay in a story published Wednesday. “I’m always open [to that]. Our divorce wasn’t messy. We were able to move on and be the best parents we can.”
Buzz: Christina Applegate Shares Video Update After Monthslong Hospitalization
The comedian, 45, shares two children — twins Moroccan and Monroe — with Carey, 57, whom he married in 2008. The exes finalized their divorce in 2016.
Cannon opened up about the status of their co-parenting relationship ahead of his upcoming, untitled Netflix docuseries that will follow his life raising 12 children with six different mothers.
“We talk almost every day or every other day, specifically just about the kids,” he said of Carey. “We were laughing about [reports that we’re not close]. I was like, ‘Who is telling people that?’ … I’ll deliver the truth with the [docuseries].”
Cannon added that he still considers Carey “my greatest friend and my greatest teacher.”
Buzz: Jon Stewart Taunts Trump With A Seriously Brutal ‘*******’ Idea After Media Ban
HuffPost has reached out to Carey’s reps for comment.
In addition to his twins with Carey, Cannon is also father to children Golden, 9, Powerful, 5, and Rise, 4, with Brittany Bell; twins Zion and Zillion, 5, and daughter Beautiful, 3, with Abby De La Rosa; son Legendary, 4, with Bre Tiesi; and daughter Onyx, 4, with LaNisha Cole.
The actor also shares daughter Halo, 3, and son Zen, who died from a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer in 2021, with Alyssa Scott.
Asked about how he has referred to his relationships with his M.O.M.C. (mother of my children), as he called them, as “consensual non-monogamy,” Cannon shared that the only mother he has ever been exclusive with was Carey.
“I was married for seven-plus years, and my wife was the only person I was monogamous with because I didn’t want to **** it up,” he explained. “I was like, ‘This is Mariah Carey. I’m not messing this up!'”
Like this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support HuffPost.
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon first met at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, where Cannon presented Carey with the award for choice music R&B artist.Jun Sato via Getty Images
Cannon added, “But I have an abundance of love, and I want to be the best provider and partner. I have the means to — not even speaking financially — be a helpmate to people and I think that’s the root of it.”
As for how he juggles so many partners, Cannon said his family tree must “operate as a unit.”
Buzz: ‘Delusional ********’: Robin Williams’ Daughter Torches Trolls Over AI Videos Of Her Dad
“But it’s definitely compartmentalized,” he explained. “Every mother parents differently. I’m non-confrontational, which isn’t always a good thing. I’m learning. I don’t take anything seriously, so I’m either cracking a joke or just being like, ‘It is what it is.’ It allows me to keep the stress down.”
Regarding jealousy among his partners, Cannon notes that he wouldn’t use that word to describe his dynamic with the mothers. However, he added, “as the famous quote goes, ‘You can’t please all the people all the time.'”
“I’m learning that balance. I have 12 kids — everybody’s not going to be happy with me and I’m pretty sure we’ll hear everything they have to say when they become adults. But at this point, I’m doing the best I can, and everybody has an individual connection with Dad.”
Later in the interview, Cannon shut down the idea of ever walking down the aisle again.
“I don’t like the government in my love life. I think the institution of marriage should be respected, but I can’t see myself going through the legal paperwork again,” he shared.
Related…