Nick Cannon Has Responded To Jimmy Kimmel's Oscar Joke Tying His Large Number Of Kids To Avatar 2

Nick Cannon in hat and glasses on The Check Up With Dr. David Agus
(Image credit: Paramount+)

It’s been a few months since Nick Cannon’s 12th baby was born, and there’s no news so far of any more on the way. Still, poking fun at The Masked Singer host for fathering so many children with multiple women seems to be the bit that never gets old. Jimmy Kimmel had some fun at the actor’s expense during the 95th Academy Awards, joking about the role his progeny played in Avatar: The Way of Water’s box office earnings, and Cannon has commented on what he thought about the humorous dig.

During the Oscars, host Jimmy Kimmel didn’t shy away from references to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during last year’s ceremony (in fact, the slap jokes were actually scaled back), but the Academy Awards scandal was far from the only pop culture subject broached by the comedian. Kimmel combined two topics that were very much in the news over the past year — the release of Avatar 2 and the birth of five more Cannon babies — when he said: 

Avatar: The Way of Water was the most expensive movie ever made. Disney spent $2 billion to make this movie. Just to break even, all of Nick Cannon’s children had to see Avatar four times.

The joke apparently made it back to Nick Cannon, and the former talk show host assured TMZ he had no problem with Jimmy Kimmel, saying: 

I heard about that. Nah [it’s not annoying], it’s hilarious. I created Wild ‘N Out. I hear those jokes all day long. Yeah, Kimmel’s my man.

Nick Cannon has had 12 children with six different women, including ex-wife Mariah Carey, with nine of them coming since 2020. The Drumline actor’s polyamorous lifestyle has drawn criticism from many — and even death threats toward his children — so it seems like he’s got no problem with Jimmy Kimmel taking a humorous approach. Also, as Cannon pointed out, he hears those kinds of comments every day. 

NICK CANNON'S KIDS

Nick Cannon in promo for The Masked Singer Season 7

(Image credit: Fox)

1/2. Twins Monroe and Moroccan (2011)
3. Golden (2017)
4. Powerful Queen (2020)
5/6. Twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir (2021)
7. Zen (2021, passed away at 5 months)
8. Legendary Love (2022)
9. Onyx Ice (2022)
10. Rise Messiah (2022)
11. Beautiful Zeppelin (2022)
12. Halo Marie (2022)

The host is constantly roasted on The Masked Singer for having so many children, including by America’s Got Talent judge Howie Mandel, who — after being unmasked as Season 9’s Rock Lobster — joked that he’d bought a pregnancy test after hugging Nick Cannon. Kevin Hart has gone hard on the actor as well, sending him a vending machine full of condoms last Valentine’s Day, but Cannon was in on the joke recently, when their “Having My Baby” prank to promote their new show went viral.

Avatar: The Way of Water continues to be a box office success, but it may not want to count on ticket sales from any more Cannon babies. When asked if he plans to father more children anytime soon, Nick Cannon didn’t exactly say no, but he did admit that, “I definitely got my hands full,” and said he’s locked in on his current little ones.

That doesn’t mean the jokes are going to stop anytime soon, and you can see the punishment Nick Cannon takes on The Masked Singer, with new episodes airing at 8 p.m. ET Wednesdays on Fox. 

Heidi Venable
Content Producer

Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.