If there’s any celebrity out there who knows more than the average person about dating famous people and having lots of kids, it’s gonna be Nick Cannon. The multi-hyphenate entertainer is currently awaiting his eighth child with model Bre Tiesi, with a potential ninth (and tenth?) in the pipeline. And while the Masked Singer host’s past marriage to Mariah Carey might seem like the most newsworthy relationship he’s been a part of, Cannon claims to have been an inciting factor for the headline-conquering marriage of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. And even though they’re currently split, with Kardashian now dating SNL vet Pete Davidson, Cannon is keen on seeing them get back together one day.
While Nick Cannon doesn’t often get into tea-spilling sessions these days, as he’s fully aware of how quickly gossip-driven backlashes can happen, he did amusingly throw a bit of shade at Ye while guesting on the podcast The Hottee Talk Show. After talking about his close friendship with Pete Davidson, and how the younger comedian ended up with Kim Kardashian, the conversation turned to Cannon’s own past relationship with the SKIMS founder. And that’s when he brought up the Kanye story. Here’s how he explained things:
I knew Kim before she was the billionaire mogul that we all know. They might tell the story differently, but I think I’m the person that introduced Kim to Kanye. Because, as we were dating, I can even specifically remember she threw me my 26th birthday party. I had a store on Melrose, and her and her mom threw me this dope party. Everybody was there — Quincy Jones, Nas. — and I remember specifically my friend Kanye... That was one time early. And I think I might have even introduced them, it was at a party. It was me, Paris Hilton, Lil Kim, we was all at my table, and Kanye was just bubbling. I was like, ‘Yo, let me introduce you to my man Kanye.’ It was in passing, and I’m pretty sure they did stuff later, but I’m like, ‘I was the first to introduce y’all.’ So to watch Kanye talk all that shit to everybody, I was like, ‘What about me? I introduced you to her, and now that’s your wife and your baby mama. I was your friend. This was my girl!’
To reiterate, Nick Cannon’s story was heightened for emphasis, and he was quite amused the entire time he was talking about it. (Pretty much throughout the entire podcast, really.) So he wasn’t truly sincere in coming after Kanye over the rapper’s clear and present refusal to cite Cannon as the magical connection that brought him and Kim Kardashian together.
In fact, despite all of his love for Pete Davidson, and how supportive Cannon is for Kim Kardashian’s current relationship, the former talk show host reflected on why he thought KimYe was such a logical pairing. What’s more, he explained why he’s partially still hoping for them to get back together, saying:
Because when I did find them getting together, I actually understood it, knowing that those are two people who both lost parents, who were in the public eye, who’ve always been ridiculed. It made so much sense. And they were such a beautiful union, I think I’m rooting for them to get back together, because the kids. That would benefit the kids in a big way. But if not, they’re still gonna figure it out. Kanye said they’re having the best divorce ever. [Laughs.]
As far-fetched and impractical as Nick Cannon’s hopes are for such a rekindling, at least the reasoning behind it all is quite sound and meaningful. (Won’t someone please think of the children?!?) Because as hectic as things got for Ye during the post-split transition, he and Kardashian have put in the efforts to make co-parenting work. So even if they never return to each others' lives in full, the kids should still be able to benefit from things.
For all that Nick Cannon has been blindly criticized by naysayers for having children with so many different women, none of the mothers have shared anything but kind words about the comedian and his dedication as a father. Even if he can’t always be around, he and the other women have systems in place to make sure everyone’s needs are taken care of, and that no one is lacking for any kind of support. In that same interview, Cannon also talked about ex Mariah Carey likely being the ideal past relationship he’d want to return to, though it didn’t exactly seem like he only had kids on the brain when he said it.
Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out airs in two-hour blocks on Tuesday nights on VH1, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET. Fans can rewatch older episodes of the show with a Paramount+ subscription. Head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what else is on the way.
