I don't know. Every day click up the breakfast clubs, y'all.
Dumb yeps world most dangerous, wanting to show to breakfast club Charlamagne and God, DJ Nvy just hilarious, Envy and jets on here, but Laura l Rossa is and we got a special guest in the building, A man.
I have no problem calling an icon.
I appreciate it can in his head.
How you doing, my.
Man, man, I'm good. I mean I would say the same about you, man, not yet not come on man, quick playing. You know.
The reason made me think of that, I was I was listening to you on myth Bleak podcast, okay, and I was just like, I don't know if it's because you and Bleak got such history, but I don't know. I feel like I heard a different side of you in that interview.
I don't know why. It was like it made me look at things in a different perspective.
Not like I didn't always look at you in that way, but I'm like, yo, Nick has really done a lot. And I remember it was one part you was talking about how you just wanted to do things that were always authentic. Yeah, And it made me start thinking about all the different hats you won the comedian, acted, TV holes, rapper, directed, executive, And I was just like, damn nah, especially.
Coming from you, man, because that's even that conversation that was when Smith was up here, and he was. But I've been in this game for so long, Like I've been running through New York since the nineties, you know what I mean. And I used to run with them because we was all kind of young and stuff, so and they everybody used to look out for me because I was like this kid that was doing stand up and rapping and all of that stuff, so everybody would
look out for me. It's like from Jay to you know, Will Smith, all of those different people kind of took a liking to me. So I've seen the game since the nineties. And to your point, man, like I've been blessed to be able to do so many different things. But it's like time, you don't think, like, damn, thirty years have passed, you know what I mean. Like and I've done I've done so much stuff that I forgot
about a lot of times. But it's like you know, from the movies, the TV shows and all that stuff, and now I'm just in a space man, where I'm just trying to operate and be the best father I can be. And you know, peace, that's a peace was most important?
Which role feels more most authentically used and which one do you think people underestimate?
I think, I mean, if we're talking like artistry, I love acting, I mean at the core, but stand up is what got me on. You know what I mean. Stand up is what you can do for the rest of your life. And it's evolved in such a way now so I probably never stopped doing that. There used to be this idea of like, oh, I want to be the entrepreneur and the hustler, and I kind of I did that for like ten fifteen years and did
it heavy. It made a lot of money in and it was like it ain't even really about that no more so if I'm talking about my craft, I think I really enjoy acting, but I'm still going to be the business man that I am. I still now I'm in that space where I just want to give people opportunities, and so that has kind of almost stepped in front of like how much money I can make it like, yo,
how many people can I help? And that's why I say, with you, man, I mean from the Black Effect to every everything you're building in the space is a mental health Like it's so necessary and so needed that I don't think you get the flowers as much as you should because you are quietly building culture for this next generation where nobody else is doing it, like, and you're doing it in a way where it's unapologetic and I mean it's it's from somebody who always wanted to do
it and literally watched you build it. I'm like, man, that's so dope, but you did build it.
That's what I'm saying. Like, to me, the underestimated part about you is your role as an executive because you didn't know while I was going on with twenty two seasons. Yeah yeah, yeah, like you know, people don't may not know the MASD singer, you're an executive producer of that.
Yeah that was he was like, I brought it out, Yeah, we got it. We took it from it was a Korean property, it was, and it was a hit over overseason we brought it here and now what season fourteen. So it's just like, but that's a that's to me, those are things like I just enjoy it, and I
guess that's the business mindset as an executive. But to me, like that's like I'm sowing that space now, like I'm probably creating maybe three or four different game shows and stuff like that coming up, because I understand like, oh, I can have fun doing this, But then at the same time, this is an empty space that you don't really see us in that much.
So you're the chairman of Team Nick for ten years.
Ten years. Yeah, yeah, we was over there fifteen fifteen and you was over there.
That story fucked me up because I didn't realize what a mass single story bumed upcause I didn't realize you left America's Got Talent.
Yeah, I mean, well that was dang. It was so long ago. But you know, me running my mouth doing saying stuff I ain't had no business saying, Uh, well, actually I was telling jokes in my stand up in NBC. Didn't like it, and they kind of like threatened to
fire me. And I was on my Chappelle shit at the time, like I had been kicking it with him, and I was like, oh, well, they go, well I quit and I literally just stepped away from from America's Got Talent, And everybody's like, yo, this is the biggest mistake of your entire career million yeah, yeah, and it was people are like jobs like that don't come around again.
Howard Stern was trying to convince me to stay, and he I'm looking up to him because he told NBC when you know, back in the day that he was leaving and all that stuff, so and he was like, nah, man, keep that job, Simon. Everybody was trying to convince me. And then I was like, nah, I know my worst And then I went and created a show over at Fox that was bigger than America's Got Talent.
When you posted about you leaving AGC back all those years ago, you had said that at one point you were in a dark place about trying to figure out the decision.
Yeah, because everybody was like against me, like my entire team, and I'm like, what am I making a a bad decision because I'm literally trying to stand up for freedom of speech and stand up for my culture and all of that stuff. And it was like, wait, I feel like I'm making the right decision, but nobody they're like, nah, man, you gotta this is how the game worst. And you your highest paid hosts on television and all that stuff. You step away from that, you know, the industry's not
gonna rock with you no more. And I just stood ten toes down. But it was definitely a dark place because I mean, and that's happened a few times in my career, so like at certain points it's like, oh, I know what this is. It's a cycle, you know what I mean? So long as I can always stay true to myself, then it ain't never gonna be an issue with me. But it was scary, you know when the first times happened, you don't know, like, dang, is this over?
Dan?
How am I gonna feed my family from this point on? If everybody around me agents managed, everybody's like, nah, you got to figure this out. But you know, luckily you believe it in yourself. Definitely plays what did.
You learn about like how to navigate the race conversations working with corporations from that, because I know the joke was it was you jokingly saying.
Yeah, nigga, be careful, it's true, right, uh, And they didn't like that. But again, and we had we had several conversations, you know, closed door, and it was just it was when you feel something isn't authentic, you just kind of know, like, yo, I'm gonna just trust my gut and sometimes because I don't. I don't think there was any malice even from their side and stuff. They're trying to protect their brand.
Uh.
And then there was part of me that just at that time in my life, I was soap boxing, so heavy, you know what I mean. I wanted to pontificate. I wanted to and that's the energy I think even a lot of us was on when it was really just like, yo, we're standing up for us and we whip and all of that. And I think rightly, so it was a good decision at the time. But now that I'm you know, a little more mature and all that stuff, it's like, Yo, you definitely got to know how to pick your battles.
Even though I won that one. And you know, I would encourage people to always stand firm and who you are and what you represent, but that can it can drain you so much, you know what I mean. And like I said, it's only a boy the grace of God that you know, I am able to continue on and continue to keep going and not stopping. So but yeah, man, at this point, man, I'm just I'm chilling. IM just like I'm just like I said, piece is the most important thing to me?
Oh that was my.
I mean we can go anywhere. I don't want to take go off of that. I guess talking about peace right and some of the things that drain you when you picking and choosing these shows. Some people you work with now you today because I know you've had a lot of situations that worked and didn't work, artists You've tried to helping things of that nature. Yeah, the people
business is really tricky when it comes to peace. So has there been people that have come in the cannon and the cannon is like, yeah, I'm not let you dream my energy.
Uh yeah, all the time. I mean, but more than anything, especially when you're dealing with talent, they gotta want it more than you do. I've made the mistake a lot of times where I see something in somebody or see the vision and like, man, they got it, but they don't actually work hard enough. The talent is clearly there, but they don't know what it takes. And then they feel like, oh well, I'm with Nicks, so I'm good.
And it gets to a space where you know, spend millions and millions of dollars on different artists and different projects and stuff, and they don't go because the energy on it from the standpoint of who you're trying to help, they not believing in themselves one hundred percent yet. So now even more than talent, I look for someone's drive and if they really got it, and they do it, and I think even when you look at what the labels and stuff are, that's what they pay attention they do.
But they but they pay attention to who has the motion. They pay attention to who has the drive because then they all they got to do is throw bread behind that and then it's going to go. But if they don't develop, nothing no more. And and to be honest, I mean JD said a lot of times they didn't back in the day, they didn't develop. They just had cats like JD or Puff or you know all of those different you know, black owned labels that they were the ones that did it developing and then they had
the relationship with the majors. So you know, that's the idea now to where it's so much entertainment, so much content out there now that our curation system is the thing that's the most important. I mean, that's why y'all are who y'all are, because this is the only space to really pull up and actually curate and understand, like yo, if they said it on the Breakfast Club or if we heard about it there, then that's really we don't have too many other spots that actually can do that anymore.
I feel like, while that has been a curious space too, like you know, and it's become like this cultural institution for hip hop and comedy. And I always wonder, what's the one decision you made early on that you think like ensured the longevity.
Of damn listening to the young folk more than anything. I mean, wild'n I was a journey in itself too, because nobody believed in that that was something I'd invest in on myself. Lucky, that was early MTV days, like I was, you know, hosting TRL and all the spring breaks and all of that type of stuff. And they gave me a deal and they wanted me to do like some punk type of show because that's where Ashton was popping at the time. And I was like, now I want to bring my friends together and mixed hip
hop and comedy and improv together. And they didn't understand it, and so I went shot it with my own money and then they got it, but then I owned it. So then from that standpoint, that obviously probably was the best decision of just making sure that I owned my
ip from the gate. And then I think we did like a strong four seasons and then you know, I got married and things start shifting up between you know, MTV, and there was MTV two was created and all of that, and so when I brought it back for MTV two and MTV two was like really like the hip hop MTV. We kind of just you know, ran that channel. I mean, that's when me and Charlotte really got got down back then, because that we was just making whatever we wanted to
do on MTV two. It was like we'd literally be over there and they kind of gave us free reign to kind of be creative. And that was a time, you know what I mean, I was like mid two thousands and U from there. I think the longevity just finding cats like you know, the eighty five South crew and you know hit Man Holler and Conceded and Justina and like they kind of keep the brand going where even from the Gate, from even the Cat Williams days
and Kevin Hart Day. I've always been the dude that just fell back and let everybody else shine.
You remember, we was gonna we were going to do it, was gonna bring your MTV raps back. Yeah, we were executive producing that.
Yeah, we did it a couple of times. We got the crazy thing. Uh it was the hosts were gonna be Jesus and Merrill and we had it on that's crazy. We had it on a bus. Uh we were it was they were saying it. We we got this big ass tour bus and we sent them all over and me and Charlotte was executive producers and yeah, yeah.
It was gonna be like a correspond Yeah.
Yeah, like it's but that's the thing where we've had the opportunity over the years is just generate stuff and some of it works, some of it stick, and then some of it don't. But uh yeah, man like to have something like wild'n Out kind of just have the longevity that it has.
It's crazy.
So just now you were sitting the ip for walling out you own, Yeah, so can you explain the bad?
What was it? The bad versus Wild? How How does that happen?
The like?
How how is MTV or whoever able to come to you and say.
Used to we're partners. We're still partners in, Okay. So it's like because you got to understand too, especially when you're dealing with like Paramount. Paramount is a publicly traded company, so even within No Matt like, there's still an ownership percentage.
Got you, okay?
You know what I mean. So if and I think I talked about this when I was here here before, like if you own one hundred percent of something and your partner ain't supporting you, then you never go in.
So I've always valued them as my partners. But it's always going to be stuff to where you know, I try to move with autonomy a lot of times because like it's mine, but still got to make sure that the attorneys are talking to everybody and stuff because they're just trying to protect their brand and because it is on their networks, it is associated with them, so I can't just go run wild and do something and they didn't approve it and stuff like that. So you know, but that's just the business.
I've been able to talk about and figure out what all that is. Because there are reports of them being upset the suit them none.
Of that stuff. I don't even think that was really real. I mean, I mean it was real, but I think it didn't really have anything to do with me. Nah nah, I mean, well, you know what, I don't not me, you know what I mean, Like, I don't know what. I think. There's something there was something between zeus in Paramount that if you never noticed, like I was never named in it, so I kind of always just fell back. And the whole time that happened, I'm talking, you know,
everybody at Paramount is my people. So they're like but they're like, look, we got to make sure we're protecting and they're like, look, we're trying to protect you as well. So you know how it is, like that's just business and that that never that type of stuff I've had like real issues legally. That was never like a.
Real thing that people come out sean when people think that people are playing with you, because then people are like, he's done so much and he's been doing it for so long.
Yea, so people thought that involved.
So people were really pissed off, like how would they do that to him when we only know wild'n out because of Nick Cannon.
Yeah, And I think because at the end of the day, you know, and that was me and lim trying to and I was just listening to limb like because I really respect what he what he built, and he was like, man, I want to do something you know where I have all of our talent kind of act like they're doing Wild Out. And I was like, why not, you know what I mean? That seemed like that could be dope.
He's always doing offshoots and stuff. But I guess there was some history between you know, Zeus and Paramount that I was like, man, I ain't getting involved in none of that stuff. So but but it all worked out. I think there was a lot and that this industry, you know how that goes too. There's people start putting out press releases and things like that, and that stuff
makes more noise than what actually happens. And I think even they figured it out super quickly, but it you know, once the headlines hit, everybody was like, oh, it's good, it's going down, and you know, because you know, right now, like wild'n Out, we got brand new episodes Aaron right now, but it had it was kind of on hiatus for a second, so they were like, what's going on? Is it gonna get in there was like nah, it was just that was the interim of getting to the to
the new episodes. So it all worked itself out.
I want to go back to something. So you all doing new episodes.
Yeah, yeah, we got new ones running right now and that's I think it come on every Monday night v H one and then obviously all of this, you know, YouTube and all of that type of stuff. But they were rocking right now. It's going, it's going heavy.
I'm not gonna lie.
I felt a little way about the new Paramount ownership, not because I know anything about them.
It's just that that was.
All home for a long time, in a long time, guys like Chris McCarthy, Richie.
Yeah, it is just because there was our people.
There are people in a real way like that. Just regime gone, Like yeah, I heard a little bit. I'm not going front.
Hey man, I was right like you said, I was over fifteen fifteen for ten years like so, so it's like it's it's an end of an era. But it's like I think the new regime is they're trying to hold time. I thought they was gonna sell everything, like I thought they was gonna sell BT Nickelodeon, like yeah, and they said, nah, we're gonna keep it and we're gonna redevelop. They trying to redevelop MTV and actually turn it back into a music brand and stuff. So like
and they got the bag. So hey, I salute them, and like I said, uh, we're about to diversify wild'n Out in such a way that obviously, you know, my my main focus is being international, and even there's an education platform that I've been working on from the gate for like a lot of the public school systems and even the HBCUs to where trying to build a curriculum based off of you know, improv and our ability and so like the same way that you have the groundlings
are the same way that you have a second city, we can have that in our communities to where you can go to the Wilding Out theater down the street and learn how, you know, all the principles and concepts of how to how to be a performer and how to do live improv and things like that, and then that becomes an incubation system for new talent. So where I used to just go online and be like yo, who's the funniest kid? Who Got who nice as a
as a battle wrapper. Now I can literally say I have schools in various cities that are training and developing young people with all of the concepts of you know, funny comedians, hip hop, but at the same time teaching them principles about you know, just pure education is I.
Think I think somebody like you could do that so well because you're in that middle point of like, you know and feel and are real talent and understand what developing that it's like, but also you're like of the now, like you know what's happening, and a lot of times it's like a disconnect. I was just listening to you talk about that made me think about a conversation me and Charlotte were having about Marlon Wayne's on stream and
just the reaction to what you said. I said that Marland was way better.
Than Kay on the stream, and and.
I didn't I didn't say it in a way like I didn't expect him to be It's just wear the full conversation. I said, I know it's Marla Wayne's, but he was way better than Kyle on the stream. But it would be it would be so dope to see stuff like that bridge more because younger people get to see like he really does this. Like but younger people don't know Marlon Wayans.
And understand that stand up comedian. You know how many of course he's going to be.
They know who he is, but they I think sometimes people don't understand how putting your reps in doing everything that Marlon Wayne's has been brought up doing his whole life prepares you to do whatever you want very well, because we a lot of us get on stream or get online and numbers go and we're just here, we're figuring it out. So to see somebody who's really talented like him be with Kyson who's also talented, but you know, like it's like a variety show stuff.
Yeah, but it was just fire to see them together.
I hear what you're saying, and you're one hundred percent right to where that's what we should be one as a community, taking our OG's and putting them with a young guys and saying like, look, this is we're gonna polish you. And that's really what wild'n Out always was. And that's even why I switched it from like old school in new school, because it's like we want all of that energy because Kai and them they got their finger on the pulse of what's going on. They got
all of the young people. But there's also a process of being seasoned and longevity in this. And somebody like Marlin, like that's my og, that's big bro. Like I've looked up to him my entire career because it's like, yo, that dude has done it all, you know what I mean, from starts, like so much stuff that we forgot a lot of times. But let's started several black blockbuster movies and TV shows, and so it's effortless for him because this is what he do.
That's what I'm saying, not that people don't know him, but I think a lot of younger people don't even understand the.
Preparation actual talent.
Yeah, that is exactly what I'm saying.
Let's think about the car the world.
We don't even know what they're gonna do yet, just their platform introducing them.
We don't know what them skill sets are.
You Like the little dude Reggie that be doing the comedy, I think he's hilarious. I'm looking at him like he should be in movies and TV like that's what him. But then I can see that for Kay as well.
Nah, because Kyle came on Wilding Out early on, like it's funny my kids put me up on Ky back in the day and he was like, Dad, you gotta put Kay on wild Out. We put him on and he rocked it. And I was this was before all of the stuff, and I was like, yo, man, you want to be on the show. And he was like, man, you know how much money y'all make it? Right now?
I was like, I get it, you know what I mean, because I was like right at the beginning, but I was trying to you know, from the Cays to the drew Skis, you know, like when they first started bubbling. I'm always seeing who's now. I remember even I showed speed my son put me up on him when he was like sixteen. He was like and like we was talking to his parents and everything, trying to figure out that it was a way to put a sixteen year
old on wild'n Out and all that stuff. So you they they communicate with the youth in such a way that we don't even know how to do it. I don't like, it's like I don't know what the algorithm is or from the clipping all that stuff, but they're communicating differently. So I'm just trying to figure that out
because that is truly a talent in itself. And then if they're they if they're gifted on top of that, whether it's musically, whether it's you know, even like I said, somebody like Speed, I'm like, dude is a natural athlete and has turned probably made more money just doing what he does than any professional athlete could because he's just been able to figure it out internationally. And it's like, I'm so in all those young dudes and what they're doing.
Like you said, they just now building a platform and they're teenagers there, you know what I mean, Imagine what they'll be, you know, five ten years.
That's how I.
Inspire what you're trying to do. That's what I mean to say.
It's like, not that they're not talented, but they need what you're trying to do at the same time.
That's why I don't think we're supposed to figure it about. Like they have their audience right every now and then they invite unks over and yeah, fun also can put you in a movie, Yeah, can put you on TV?
Like you know, if that's what you want to do.
That's why I love the relationship Kevin got with them, because that's the way I see it.
Nah, that's real, and that's that's how we all came up, you know what I mean. Even when I was creating wild'n Out and stuff, I would like I said, I was talking to Cass like you know, Jamie Fox and Marlin and all of them, and they were like, yo, they was giving me advice and I was, you know, paying attention to the game when I was a teenager around them. So then when I got my opportunities to be an executive or get deals and produce stuff, I had already knew how to do it. So it's like
it's the same thing. We just got to pass the information over to the to the young boys.
Do you see yourself as a bit a bridge building for the next generation?
Uh?
Yeah, I don't. I never really thought of it like that. I mean, like I said, when I see what your building, I was like, Yo, that's that's needed. I think at some point I was on that for a minute, but then it's like I just got to focus on what's working. And then so I know how important wilding Out is to the culture, so I can build those bridges through that I can continue to be the conduit for those spaces.
But I don't know if it's it's still like trying to build for the culture as much as it's just really just trying to do the best work I could possibly do.
I don't know why you acting like you don't do that. I think Wilding Out does that.
Bro.
I also do that by the talent that you choose to work with and some of the projects that you developed, a lot of people be able.
To do that.
Soro matt Rife came from from Wilding Up. They was already doing anything but.
Pete all of that stuff. Yes, yeah, yeah, I mean, but it's definitely that's and that's why I said, like probably I can focus on that and like I said, everything I'm trying to build. But before, you know, like when we I was, you know, the executive over there and all that stuff, it was just like we were just trying to build stuff for us, you know what I mean, and see how much we can and they was allowing us to do it, you know what I mean. So we were just trying to put on for the culture.
Where now I think, you know, as I've gotten a little older, it's like I gotta pick and choose where to put my energy because if I'm just there was a point where I was like, I want to give everybody a deal, and I want to design it and I want to figure like I'll be up trying to figure out how how can I build a streaming platform and how can I do it? And it's like a lot of that stuff is so draining when you can just focus on what's working in rock like that, Well you got.
The Nicked Night Show. Now late Night Space? Why late night Space is time?
I think? I mean, I'm be honest. They kind of you know, Amazon came at me and was like, yo, you should do this, and I was like all right, you know, like it was a fun you know take on how to flip late night and almost like late night radio that used to be like the calling advice
for relationship and sex and stuff like that. So it was a cool, uh we do it that, you know, a spot that I have ownership in in Hollywood and it's just like a cool little date night vibe to where you know, we bring in a professional, whether it's a therapist or a psychologists, and you know they give the real advice and I'm just there for the commentary, but it's super dope because then I do Man on
the Street bits with it and all that stuff. So it's just another thing to do again, something to have fun with. But you know, when they presented it to me, I was like, all right, let's get it.
I saw you on this sand you don't believe in you don't like the term co parenting.
I think that was again that they clickbait, I think what I said, But in that sense, what I was saying, I was like, is parenting you know what I mean? I think we start, you know, trying to come up with all of these phrases that kind of be like, no, we just let's just be the best parents we can possibly be, because then once you start trying to define what co parenting is, and then it's like then that diminishes what our experience as just as parents, you know
what I mean? I think everybody wants to be the best parents to their child. So I was just saying, I don't like all of these terms that society just starts putting putting on there, especially you know, based off of they throw terms at me constantly, So I was like, why can't it just be parenting, like why does it? But that there's a negative connotation sometimes that it goes in, like I've never had a bad experience, so I'd rather just like, no, we parent together. Like that just sounds,
you know, a little better than what co parenting. Co parenting sounds like you got lawyers involved and stuff like that, which the people who do that, that's that's cool, but it's like I feel like, if we're really getting to the core of it, parenting is what we're doing.
I saw or I read the interview that Mariah Kare did with Harper's Bazarre where she talked about wanting to really be fair when you guys parents in situation because like you know, growing up with parents who are not together anymore is really difficult. Your kids are getting older now, have they ever come to you and been like, dad, like why are y'all not together?
When they were a little younger? Really yeah, but now you know they fourteen, they kind of get it and they like, we've always had a great relationship. I mean, even with Mariah saying like I've always we've been present, you know, So even in that sense where I remember when they were probably like ten eleven, that's kind of when they would say, you know, can you guys get
married again and all that stuff. And it's because when they see us as a family, it looks, you know, like oh, this is this is what it should be. But you know, like I said, they're fourteen now, so they kind of they understand that it's just it's a little it's it's not picture perfect, but it's their family and they love it.
And then there was another clip people Love coming for You, and apparentis though they do get this, does it ever get to a point where you're just like, what the hell, Like I'm over it? Everything you say.
Not really be cause it's like it's been that way for years, Like I've never like I it's been since you had twelve kids.
It's heightened because you I mean.
But it's always been able to like, I'm from the stuff that we was talking about earlier that they always like, I'll say something my mouth forget me in trouble or something, and then it's like I got to clear it up. And a few years back, I mean, I ain't even worried about clearing that stuff up, especially when I have so many platforms of my own that it's just like, well,
long as they promoting it, I'm not even tripping. So because I'm gonna I'm going to speak my truth and if you know, I'm only responsible for what I say, and that for what you understand.
Yeah, because there was a clip of you talking about your daughters and who you want your daughter to date and oh yeah, And even with that, I was like, when you listen to what he was trying to say and understand it, you're just taking accountability that you changed a lot. The men you are now is who you want your kids to date, not.
Who you were to talk about that.
Yeah, we did.
Yeah, And most men, if you asked them honestly, would you be like, yo, would you want your daughter to date a young boy like you? Yeah, they're gonna be like no, you know, but in that sense, like as we mature, you're gonna be like, look, dad did a bunch of stuff, made a lot of mistakes. Please don't find somebody like that, but find somebody that is gonna treat you right and do that. And that's that's all
I was saying. In that sense, it was like I was taking accountability and just saying like, yeah, I do have five daughters and I want them to make way better choices than I made. And I think that's what every parent.
I would want my daughters to have, the version of me that went on a healing journey, right, that version you can find that early. Yeah, because I know a lot of my homegirls not tell me they won't even date a guy who's not trying to.
Do some work on thisself. Yeah, in therapy or something big fact.
And that's I think, you know, we obviously share that that same energy of like therapy has changed our lives in such a way because I used to feed off of toxicity, you know, I used to you know, from being diagnosed as a narcissist and all that. Like I would like that's the type of stuff it was like, yeah my ego, Yeah, yeah, is.
Gonna love that?
You like?
How does that work?
It's a pro You gotta one. You gotta have the right psychiatrists or even psychologists that they both can do it. But it's like a three week process to where you gotta they do an in person verbal interview that you got to answer all of these questions at a certain pace. Then you got to fill out these forms. Then you gotta write U and not like they're don't they're not trick questions, but there are questions that you know, from one to ten, how do you do this? How would
you handle this in this situation? And then they take it takes about a month to come back. And then it's a spectrum and it tells you where you land on the spectrum of MPD. And you know, luckily, uh, like the far end of the spectrum where people a lot of people you know, associating narcissism with where there's the lack of empathy and rage. I didn't have those, Like those are the things where like people just you know,
they're so into themselves that it's dangerous. But all of the you know, the self worth and you know, believing that who you are and that you're you know, a
unique individual and your word matters more than most. Like I had all of that, and you know what I mean, so that you have to do the work once once you've been diagnosed, you're like, oh wow, So even in dealing with my children or dealing with the mothers and my children, it's like, now I'm equipped with saying, oh, yeah, I'm probably gaslighting when I'm doing that, or oh you know what I could probably present this a little softer or at least with a little bit more compassion, because
my nature is to be like what, I created this, I'm this, I'm that. And then it's like, but that's not helping, you know what I mean. We're not looking for resolution. I'm just looking to be right and really feeding my ego. So I've learned all of that type of stuff and it's helped me become a better parent and a better partner in a scenario, what'd you get diagnosed when? Yeah, that was maybe like two years ago.
And then because you ever heard of doctor Amen, I think you had to see him because he's all online, but he does all of these brain scans. He's a brain psychiatrist and he has it's called the Aiming Clinics.
And they did like this whole brain scan on me, and I'm thinking like, oh, I'm gonna be i'mna have a genius brain and all of this stuff, and turns out like I had like severe brain damage in my frontal lobe what and like, and he would like he said, I'm the poster child for ADHD, which I kind of always knew, but I believe it came from you know,
in the brain scans. He did a whole episode on his platform about it, but it actually there said there was like some trauma probably when I was a kid that whether I fell or something like that that actually shifted and from that, you know, he's like you were probably already ADHD, but because your frontal lobe was damaged and then there was like some other We can have
toxicity of the brain too a lot of times. So there's like whether it's like and we don't even know it in our communities, like everything from like mold and all of that stuff can actually affect how we function. And you know, obviously you know it's the gut to mine ratio, Like just the stuff we're putting in our
bodies actually affects our mind. So I learned all of this stuff within like the last two years about like having a better brain and having you know, being able to control your mind and accept the things that you've been diagnosed with but also know that you can get better.
What made you want to go out it?
Yes, I'm tripping.
Because, like you know, when you started having a bunch of the kids, right, there's a lot of people around in the mental health space.
Spiritual leaders.
They would talk to me one person in particular, and I'm not going to say her name, and she was like, he has narcisstic personality disorder blah blah blah. And I'm like, Nick, because to your point, when I think of narcissism, I think of lack of empathy rage.
I'm like, that's not nick, not she called it.
So you say that, it's like wow, nah, And it's true, you know what I mean, because it's like it gets there's there's certain things, especially on the spectrum, where I had to own up and be like, man, I did do that, you know what I mean. I did try to make it all about me. I did try to create my own and that like those are those are the concepts we used to embrace, you know what I mean, Like, yeah, I'm the boss, I created this, it's my world. Chicks
gotta you know, fall in line and all of that stuff. Yeah. So but what he was that ain't how you had kids. But yeah, that's a process. That's part of it.
So what you baby Mama number twelve.
But that's I mean, you learn, Man I was, but I was on that, you know what I mean. I was on that for a long long period of time. And a lot of obviously too. A lot of it, if we're being completely honest, A lot of it is the the trauma that I was experiencing and not knowing how to handle divorce, you know what I mean, and like me acting out because I'm like, oh, I'm the man now and I can instead of healing and doing what I should have actually did, I just jumped out there.
And because I had everything from wilding out and all the things, is like, those were all distractions from the actual work that I probably.
Should Did you feel like you two things?
Did you feel like you failed because the marriage failed? Or did you were you worried about what the industry would think because the industry was already on some.
How Did Nick Cannon get Mariah anyway?
Yeah, I think it was a little bit of both. Like I said, I hadn't did the work, you know what I mean. So I was just like, just as long as I could keep moving, you know what I mean, like long, and I didn't get a chance to slow down until I got in therapy. But I was just like, look, I just got to keep making money. I gotta stay hot, I gotta stay funny, and everything else to figure itself. Out and I just didn't do the work. So then I looked up, you know, twelve kids later, and I'm like, wow,
I could have did things very differently. But you know, I stand firm on all of my decisions because you know, I love all my kids, I love my family infrastructure. But I know it all started from a place of pain and not really healing properly, and you know, because I had access to everything, so I just allowed that to kind of cloud of my decision making.
So you think having all those kids was a response to your.
Trauma, Yeahred hundred now that now I'm learning that now. Yeah, And it wasn't. And it wasn't like I was acting out. It was more of being careless, being frivolous with my process because I could do it because I had the money, because I had the access to whoever, and however I wanted to move. And you know, okay, they coming at me, they asking me opposed to like doing the mature thing and saying, hey, well it probably makes more sense to
do this, and then obviously life happens as well. So it wasn't by It wasn't like oh I'm gonna go have twelve kids. It was more about like, yo, I'm gonna just live life and have fun and whatever happens happens. I can handle it when it probably, you know, you know, being almost forty five, now, I could sit back and be like, Yeah, if I would have thought the process through a little bit more and took time to actually do the inner work, things might have been a little different.
In certain scenario.
You wouldn't have twelve kids.
I don't need. I don't know, you know what I mean? Like that, That's the only thing because every and I said, I've always said this, Every child that I had was made out of love and there were strong relationships. It's just it was if I would have did the work in the healing after getting divorced, I probably would have took my time and a lot of a lot of other scenarios, and for whatever reason, I thought that was
the answer. A lot of times it was like, oh, well, I'm gonna just I'm gonna figure it out over here. I'm gonna figure it out over here, apposed to like yore, Now you're leaving trauma every every step of the way, instead of you know, fixing it from its origin and then being able to present itself. But then I still I mean, like concepts like monogamy and stuff like that, I still feel the same way, but it actually has.
Your view on that change then.
Nah, not really not for me, you know, And that again that probably that's the work of you know, whether you want to go back to like Freud's process of like my childhood and my upbringing, I grew up in a very unorthodox situation in household, so I've always understood that, you know, love happens differently, so monogamy has never really been my thing. But so that I'm pretty sure there's that plays a part.
Of it as well too.
How the women that are that you have kids with, how do they handle the healed version of you now? Because in the trauma you're talking about, I'm sure they're coming to you with conversations that you're having differently now than you were before you started to take the time.
Yeah, I mean shouts out to all my therapists, uh because not no, not because there's you know, I'm definitely I have family therapy with some of my kids, you know what i mean, because there they have to understand that this is an unorthodox, you know, non traditional scenario, and I want them to be in the healthiest space as possible. Then I have my own personal then I actually do do relationship you know, therapy as well. So depending on who like I, there's there's been something.
He said, depending on who take.
No. But in a sense, because I you know, through you know, trial and error, what I've learned with the mothers of my children. They sometimes they'll say, can we go to therapy together? And I say, of course, you know, so then they get a safe space to present, you know, their issues with me and what I'm doing, and you know, I retreat a lot of times in my nature. That's a lot of that's that's one of my defense mechanisms is that I just be like, I don't want.
To deal with it.
So I've learned that all right, if we can have a safe setting to where and I'd say, whoever you pick, you know, because I have my own you know, counseling and things like that. But if they find somebody that they like and they want to invite me in, then
we'll sit and we'll do that. And that's so I feel like that's once because there's so many once you and what that does, that gives you the tools to know how to communicate with each other right, and there's like because there's even things that thinks, like there's the goutment theory they call like the four horsemen that I would teach this to anybody who's in any kind of relationship because those are the four Yeah, it's like the
four things to avoid when having a disagreement with your partner. And it's like, I think the first one is like obviously criticism, and criticism turns into uh, just it just spirals and it gets into this space where you find yourself arguing more than actually finding the solution of what the actual issue is. So if you can instead of just instantly saying, well, you made me feel like this, it's like, well, can I share with you how I'm
feeling right now? And then in those things where you can actually get to the resolution and the solution so much faster, but you can allow yourself to emote, and then it's almost even like presenting to your partner and be like, you know what, I really appreciate I see you trying here, here, here, and here, but can we
work on this, this, this and this? And then when you can find somebody that you can communicate with like that, it actually you really won't have any problems because you have the same goals and agenda, so you just go about it in different ways.
Emotionally, I know, you got to go to this, so you gotta go through dirty.
But I was going to ask, how do you deal with the women you have kids with dating other people, especially with like Mariah care Right, it's very public essentially her Anderson pacop do y'all have conversations about who they're dating when they meet the kids, Like is that normal traditional for you?
Yeah? I mean, I don't have no problems with it. It never really did. I mean, I think, you know, obviously Mariah has been in a few relationships, you know, since we've been divorcing, it's always been cool, you know what I mean, and you know, and even making sure that it's healthy for our kids well, and they've handled
all of it, you know, extremely well. And even you know, there's a few other mothers and my children who have relationships and stuff, and it's like, again, probably if you I mean, I think I probably if you go back a couple of interviews. The last time I was in here, there was times where I was like, Nah, this is mine. She can't she can't them. Yeah, yeah, like if she
go do what you want to do, I'm not. But now I'm in a space where like I just want everybody to be healthy and happy, and if someone else can make you happy, please by all means, you know, long and especially if it's gonna for the betterment of our child. Like yeah, like a lot of times that I see that as as you know, help in that sense to where because you want the mother to be in the most healed and healthy space that she can possibly be in, and whatever gets you there, then that's
what should be. Now. Of course, the little bit of ego that that I struggle with each and every day, it's like I want to make sure if you want to be with me, then I want to be with you, and we can you know, reciprocate that energy. But I'm not going to force anybody to to be, you know, down with me if you don't want to. But you know, if you do, I appreciate that.
You never wanted to get at the board.
Digit uh ah, I don't know. That's that's complicated now obviously, No, Like the easy question is like nah, like that you said, I felt like a complete failure on so many different levels because of that, but I also knew it was probably that's what's was. It was best for you know, specifically our kids and and kind of being able to be the best parents we could be. So it was
a tough decision. It was definitely a tough decision, but but I wouldn't change it, you know what I mean, looking back, I think it was the it was the right decision. And I think, you know, when I look at all of the amazing things Mariah's doing right now, I was like, yo, that's that's dope, you know what I mean, Like she's in such a wonderful space, and you know, I'm doing all right, and the kids are thriving.
So I'm like, we we did. We made the best decision for us, because I don't know if it would have been that way, if I would have been the immature, young dude. I was trying to figure it all out back then.
And it's just wild because you know, you said you're trauma response with the God damn be it as many women as possible. But if in that moment you would have just said, maybe even the Mariah or whoever you hurt my feelings right, like, you know, my feelings are hurt.
You know, it's so hard for men to say it is, and to me it wasn't. It's like I hurt my feelings. And that's what I didn't I couldn't understand because the decision. I was so insecure and really letting the outside noise, uh get to me in that sense of like where people will calling me like a boy told and that I was, And then I felt like I watched my own existence kind of get put in the shadow, and
so I didn't know how to deal with that. So then there was this the ego in me was acting out where opposed to like and I was trying, you know what I mean. I was like, nah, I can do it. I can hold it down in it, but it was just eating away at me. It was like I don't feel like I'm being myself. I don't feel like I'm getting the opportunity, and I can't be in somebody shadow my entire like I want to make money, I want to be a CEO, I want to be
a billionaire and all of that stuff. And it was I was having all these experiences that I was creating on my own, like it wasn't reality, Like I was the one making all of this stuff up. Like I had a loving wife who just loved me and we had amazing but I was like, nah, I gotta gotta wear suits every day and I gotta be like I'm the ball, like and it just created this monster in me that you know, took me in a direction that
I really didn't have to go in. But the ego of wanting to be the man in my household, wanted to be the man in the industry, wanting to prove everybody wrong, that took over. And then therefore, you know, years later looking back and lots of therapy and like, oh man, that was purely my narcissistic ego really tearing me down, which was really all of these insecurities that I had never worked through.
Do you ever have times where like you like slipped back into it. Because we did a segment up here where Mariah care was saying that she was she had didty tupac oh yeah, and then Charlotte joked like she didn't need to, but you reposted it. When you reposted it, I was like, Okay, Nick, can it like stopped playing with him?
But I mean the thing also that Charlie knows this about me, Like I'm I'm all for the jokes. I'm all for the good time. Like you, I'm never going nothing can make me mad, you know what I mean? So like that type. And it's funny like even in our house, like Maria used to have like literally the picture of Tupac in the bubble bath or she got a big giant version. I think, you know what the like on are the bathrooms and stuff like that. But
it's like women love Tupac like that. Ain't like that's one of them things you can't You ain't never gonna be able to compare yourself to Tupac.
You never asked her like why this picture of all the pictures?
I think you know, it was a David la Chapelle picture. And now she got a relationship with all that stuff. But I get it. I wasn't intimidated by it. I mean I got ads too.
They wove Smith ever bond over that.
Now I understand Nick at Night in the show and the love and the relationship and advice and all that stuff with you because you hear right today, I'm like, okay, I get it. Before I'm like why and not a relationship.
It's so funny too, because when people hear like, oh, Nick can't give an it. I'm not giving no advice, Like if anything, I can get insight. But there's professionals there that are given the real advice. But it's just I'm going through a healing process. I'm working and a lot of the therapists that you see on their therapists that I've actually really worked with in the past and kind of done stuff, so I know their history and
that and they can actually really help. And that's just the same thing that I mean, Charlotte does this as well. It's like we just got to encourage doing the work in therapy, and especially for black men, because we look at it as a bad thing. We look at it as like yo, you must be crazy or something wrong with you. Where it's like, nah, man, it's really saved my life in so many aspects, from relationships to personal work to you know, working through trauma. It's made me
a better person. So if I can offer up platform from whether it's a the Council culture platform, whether it's Nick Cannon at Night, where I can introduce psychologists and therapists to the space and people, you know, brace it, I'm with it.
No, you inspired me I need to dig deeper. I want to talk to that guy that you talked about that did.
The brain scan and doctor amen and diagnosed you with the n He wasn't the one that did the MPD, but he was, like he actually helped me because when he found out that I got diagnosed with MPD called me and he was like, he was like you, He's like, you definitely have MPD, but I believe it's because of your brain and not because of the decisions that you make.
And so that actually helped me understand it because that's because once you once somebody labels you with something, then you're like oh, and he was like, no, you actually he's like, we can fix all of that. And then so he actually, you know, gave me a process of like how to you know, physically work through all of that trauma and actually have a healthier brain.
My last question, if you had a child with every woman you ever had sex with, how many kids would you have?
Damn? I don't know. That's like I don't every I don't know.
That wasn't a real question to be twenty years from now. Nick can.
Legacy, I don't know, man, somebody that really just it's weird because I'm in a space right now. I feel like, you know, obviously we live I feel like we live in a simulation and it's as fast as this world is moving. We're in this like dystopian society right now, and I'm almost the present is so important, you know what i mean. I'm not even thinking about the future other than my children and just wanting to create a
best space for them. But because of I mean, I'm sure you've heard like from how Fast AI is Moving and even like I'm like, have y'all ever read that the book from back in the Day George orwell nineteen eighty four. Yeah, yo, yeah, it's so it's happening as we speak. So was this dude. He wrote a book right after World War Two called in nineteen forty nine.
It's called nineteen eighty four because he was talking about the future and what he thought he was and it said, I mean you've heard like Big Brothers Watching and all of that type of stuff, but it's literally what today is to where they had like as the Ministry of Truth and they were like literally changing history, and that it was dude's job to actually go and change history for the powers that be it was a constant war
always going on so they could perpetuate money. It was like everything was under surveillance and they had this stuff called like truth speak and knew and it's like wow when you look at how one it was predicted, But how really stuff like time and all that stuff is so man made that I always, at least the space I'm in now, I'm like, I'm not even thinking about
the future in that sense. I'm just really trying to operate in the present as much as I probably and be the best person I could be in the present, because I do I feel like this this is a simulation, and we're supposed to get as much as we're supposed to get out of it because it can change like that, and I just think, I mean, obviously we all know what's going on in the world. It's like it's so much poison out there that the future is not inspiring to me. So I just want to be the best
I can be in the moment now. My lineage obviously is all about my children, but I don't even that legacy thing. I kind of and also one of my therapists that taught me that that legacy conversation can also be associated with the narcissistic approach as well, because now I'm building my legacy when that's all ego as well to putting your name on buildings and buying all of this stuff. It's like, we think that's what we should
be achieving. But in a if we're going to get to the the utopian aspect of what we all do, we all should be each other like this.
That's right.
If you love nineteen eighty four, I want to recommend because I know people are going to go buy that book after they heard and talk about the Octavia Butler's parable of.
The Sour Sore.
Oh okay, you should read that too, because that talks about like what's going on now. She put that out in nineteen ninety three, and it talks about Los Angeles in twenty twenty four, and it's ravaged by climate change and social inequality instability.
So yeah, nah, I'm a definitely top that one. But yeah, it's just so weird. I mean, like, obviously it's to know that it's always been in the books and nothing's new, and then it really makes you step back and be like, yo, people know, the people who know, they know, and they put it in the books and we just come we glaze over it a lot of times, but it's like, yo,
this is we living in a time. And I think we've probably always been living in this time, but it's so potent right now because of the energy that's out there, and it's really it's a dystopian society, but you know, there is hope that we can get it to the other side of it, and you know that's where I hope we're going in that direction.
Nicholas Scott Cannon. Ladies and gentlemen, sir, thank you for joining us.
My brother.
This is fun.
It's the Breakfast Club.
Hold on every day, a wake ago, class up, the Breakfast Club.
Y'all finish for y'all done.