Nick Cannon Addresses Viral Bone Marrow Conspiracy Theory

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Nick Cannon is embracing the internet’s latest conspiracy theory about his famously large family with a joke instead of a denial.

The television host and entertainment executive reposted a viral video claiming he intentionally fathered so many children so he would always have access to compatible bone marrow if his lupus ever required it. Rather than shutting the rumor down, Cannon leaned into the moment, posting the clip to Instagram with a short caption: “They’re on to me…”

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Since being diagnosed with lupus in 2012, the Wild ‘N Out creator has spoken candidly about managing the autoimmune disease while balancing an unusually large family.

Today, Cannon is the father of 12 children with six women, including twins Monroe and Moroccan with ex-wife Mariah Carey, as well as children with Brittany Bell, Abby De La Rosa, Bre Tiesi, LaNisha Cole, and Alyssa Scott.

While Cannon clearly treated the conspiracy theory as a joke, it touches on a real area of medical research. According to the Journal of Immunology Research, in rare, life-threatening cases of lupus that do not respond to conventional treatments, doctors have explored bone marrow stem cell transplants to rebuild a patient’s immune system.

Those procedures, however, are considered high-risk and reserved for the most severe cases, rather than being used as routine treatment. Furthermore, these procedures use the patient’s own bone marrow rather than harvesting bone marrow from babies.

Cannon has previously discussed living with lupus and the difficult medical decisions his family has faced. In 2021, he and Alyssa Scott lost their five-month-old son, Zen, after the infant was diagnosed with brain cancer. Rather than pursue chemotherapy, the couple chose to prioritize comfort and quality of life.

“We were having quality-of-life conversations,” Cannon previously said. “We could have had that existence where he would’ve had to live in the hospital, hooked up to machines, for the rest of the time.”

He explained that he didn’t want his son “to suffer,” instead choosing to spend Zen’s remaining months celebrating milestones and creating memories together.

Cannon recently honored Zen again with a beachside celebration of life, sharing photos of family members dressed in white alongside portraits of his late son. “Zen’s Light will forever shine in our hearts,” he wrote. “We love you my son.”