Nick Cannon Talks Pranking Kevin Hart, Pulling Out of a Vasectomy, and Why He’d Love to Make a Baby With Taylor Swift

It’s no stretch to call Nick Cannon one of the hardest working people in show business. From hosting hit competition shows like “The Masked Singer” and “Wild ‘n Out,” to engineering elaborate hoaxes for his “Celebrity Prank Wars” co-star Kevin Hart, to toplining a new Amazon AMP show (“The Daily Cannon”), the 42-year-old comedian, creator, musician, TV personality, broadcaster, producer, and all-around entertainer has poured an incredible amount of time and energy into following in Howard’s footsteps so he can become, as he put it, one of the new kings of all media.

“I’ve learned so much from you. I’ve watched what you’ve done … and now I’m doing this every day,” Cannon told his friend and former “America’s Got Talent” co-star on Monday morning during his Stern Show return.

As if Nick’s industry accomplishments weren’t impressive enough, he’s also raising 11 children he’s fathered with six different women (including celebrities ranging from his ex-wife, Mariah Carey, to his current “Daily Cannon” co-host, D.J. Abby De La Rosa.) Moreso, the indefatigable performer has been doing it all while battling lupus, which just this past December teamed up with pneumonia to put him in the hospital for a short stay.

Somehow Cannon not only persists but thrives, getting six hours of sleep every night before waking up at 2 a.m. to meditate, exercise, and drink a gallon of water before dawn. Howard was blown away by his guest’s vigor, but Cannon assured him that his philosophy was simple: “We’re here to be fruitful and multiply. That’s the purpose of life — procreate,” he said.

Cannon was happy to talk about his large family during the sit down, using it as an opportunity to dispel bizarre rumors — no, Nick isn’t raising an army of children to harvest their organs (“I’m having kids because I love my kids”) — and confirm a news report about the time he considered getting a vasectomy.

“I was looking around … [but] that’s a scary thing,” he told Howard. “I felt the world was trying to make me get a vasectomy. I don’t operate well under pressure,” he added before sharing a relevant anecdote. “You ever know what it’s like to be walking down the street and just a random stranger is like, ‘Man, you need to go get snipped’? I’m like, ‘I don’t even know you, dude.’”

Why Taylor Swift Makes His Spidey Sense Tingle

Nick was an open book during the interview, but not every question had an easy answer.

“Are you done [having children]? Howard asked.

“Every time I answer this question – I can never answer it correctly because I don’t know,” Nick admitted with a laugh. “I’m happy currently with the [children] that I got,” he continued, adding that if he were to have another kid the mother would have to be some kind of woman. “She’d have to be cold. She’d have to be amazing.”

Howard wondered if Taylor Swift was amazing enough for him.

“Absolutely, I’m in — let’s go … That’s the one!” Nick laughed before praising the pop superstar’s songwriting abilities and willingness to be vulnerable in her music, just like he was. The similarities didn’t end there. They’ve also both had quite a few high-profile romances in their pasts. “Me and Taylor’s numbers are very similar when we’re talking about being in these streets. So, I think she would relate to me very well,” Cannon concluded. “We probably would really understand each other.”

Co-host Robin Quivers quickly pointed out that Taylor had recently split with Joe Alwyn, her boyfriend of six years. “She’s free and single,” Robin said.

“My Spidey-Sense is tingling,” Nick laughed. “I think that would be amazing.”

Single but Not Ready to Mingle

When Howard wondered if the fact that Nick has fathered 12 children with 6 different women has been a detriment for potential love interests, the star insisted that wasn’t even on his radar. “I’m not out there like that,” he explained. “I’m really trying to focus on myself and my children … my bandwidth doesn’t even allow me to kind of be in that space.”

Instead of dating, Cannon has been centered on raising his kids and his growing career. “It sounds wild, but my main focus is either my children or work,” he said. “It’s a healthy balance … one therapist told me I should be celibate — that didn’t work, I had like more kids after that.”

When pressed, Nick explained his period of celibacy lasted nine months and included no masturbation. As a result, the actor seemed to have provocative thoughts in his sleep. “People were saying I was sleep-fucking,” he revealed. “People would see me, and I’d be, like, gyrating … I guess I was having some dreams.”

Kevin Hart Ribbed Nick For Our Pleasure

Just because Nick is a proud and loving father doesn’t mean he’s above finding the humor in his unique family situation. In fact, he recently allowed his proclivity for procreation to take center stage in a viral marketing stunt for “Celebrity Prank Wars,” his and fellow comedian Kevin Hart’s new prank series. In the stunt, they pranked the world into thinking they’d created a show called “Having My Baby With Nick Cannon.”

“It pissed so many people off,” Nick said, explaining the prank even led to one media outlet chastising him with the argument “human life is not a game show.”

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That wasn’t the only time Kevin ribbed Nick about his penchant for proliferation. Hart also once gifted his friend a vending machine filled with extra-large condoms.

“I don’t even know where I’m going to put this thing. It’s just sitting in my garage right now, full of condoms,” Nick told Howard with a chuckle.

Will Smith Gave Nick His Big Break

When actor and rapper Will Smith saw tape of a teenage Nick Cannon back in the 1990s, there was an instant connection. “He told me I reminded him of him,” Cannon recalled to Howard. “Our first meeting I was rapping, telling jokes … I pitched him a pilot right when I met him and he’s like, ‘I’m in.’ He gave me a TV deal, a record deal, put me in ‘Men in Black II.’”

To this day, the kindness from the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” star meant a lot to the entertainer. “He was truly a mentor when I was 16 – always was a great example … just a solid dude,” Nick said.

Needless to say, Cannon was shocked after learning Smith assaulted comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards. “At first, we all thought [it was] like a skit or something,” he said before telling Howard why he empathized with the actor. “Will’s done everything right his entire career,” he said. “He’s been chasing that Oscar gold for a while and now, you know, it’s going to be an asterisk because of that moment.”

“It was heartbreaking … My heart just felt for the both of them,” Cannon continued before noting the “unfortunate” event offered viewers a glimpse into the Black male experience. “Vulnerability has never been something that we sit well with in our community, and you saw two vulnerable men and, when it gets like that, usually [it erupts] at some point.”

Kim, Kanye, Pete, and Nick’s Love Quadrilateral

Nick remains grateful for the mentors who’ve helped him over the years, from Smith to Howard himself, and said he’s always eager to “pay it forward” with the younger generation of entertainers. One such example was comedian and Stern Show guest Pete Davidson, who was Nick’s protégé long before making it onto “Saturday Night Live.”

“I taught him everything he knows,” Nick laughed.

“I used to host a comedy night at Gotham in the city. There was this kid that would call my morning show every single week [saying] ‘Yo, I’m funnier than you—put me on the show,’ … and he came down [to the comedy show] at 15 years old and ripped it. From then, I took him on the road with me, we worked on all my standup specials together … put him in his first movie [called] ‘School Dance,’” Cannon continued. “He played this character who didn’t have one line, but his name was Stink Finger … and Stink Finger turned into Pete Davidson.”

As it turned out, Pete didn’t just follow in Nick’s comedic footsteps. He also famously dated reality star Kim Kardashian well over a decade after she had first dated Nick. Nick confirmed he also became close friends with Kim’s ex-husband, the now-embattled rapper Kanye West. “That was a weird dichotomy,” Nick said, adding, “During that time, I felt for all of them, man.”

Howard was fascinated by the famous foursome’s love quadrilateral and hoped Nick might bring Pete, Kim, and Kanye onto “he Daily Cannon” to discuss it.

“I think an interview with me and Kim would be more intriguing,” Nick countered. “She’s the one who had us all wrapped around her finger. She’s the one. If you want to talk about who’s the most fascinating, that’s the billionaire woman making all these men go crazy.”

The Daily Cannon

Nick’s latest radio venture, “The Daily Cannon,” which debuts later this month on AMP, allows the busy father to streamline some of his work. “Three hours of live content before most people’s days start,” he said of the upcoming program.

In an interesting twist, his co-host, Abby De La Rosa, is more than just a D.J. — she’s the mother of three of his children. “The beautiful thing about Abby is I met her in the radio space,” he explained. “I had never seen a radio personality and an actual D.J. … and I fell in love with her energy then.”

Nick Cannon’s “The Daily Cannon” premieres Monday, April 24, at 9 a.m. ET on Amazon AMP.