Moroccan and Monroe Cannon better watch out — soon, they’re likely to find their way into dad Nick Cannon’s standup comedy routine. Their mother, Mariah Carey, is already the subject of one bit in Cannon’s new comedy special, “Mr. Showbiz,” which debuts Saturday on Showtime. The 30-year-old entertainer, whose resume includes everything from being a morning talk-show host to chairman of TeenNick, also pokes fun at himself, including all those potshots he gets in the tabloids and on blogs.
“My act is my life,” says Cannon, who is also releasing a live album version of “Mr. Showbiz” next week. “It’s not going to be funny if it’s not talking about the stuff that everybody wants to talk about.”
Right now, what people want to talk about are Moroccan and Monroe, who are just two weeks old. Cannon says the babies are beautiful; look like a combination of their mom and dad; and already are showing their personalities.
“Moroccan, I call him Roc, he’s more laid-back like me,” Cannon says. “But my daughter is definitely a little diva, she’s the feisty one out of the bunch.”
AP: Was it tough to leave your children this week?
Cannon: Yeah, this is probably one of the most difficult times ever that I’ve ever had leaving, I guess because it’s the first time, and I didn’t want to go but I had to go work. I’ve never been in this situation before. I planned this entire day to make sure that I’m home tonight, even though I’m 3,000 miles away.
AP: For people who aren’t familiar with your standup, what should they expect?
Cannon: They’ll see me for who I really am. This is really an introduction to Nick Cannon. You may have known me for hosting something, may have known me from music, you may have known me from a radio show, you may have seen me in a movie. There’s a certain public perception out there about me, and even my personal life, but at the core, and in my foundation, I’ve always been a standup comic, and you’ll see that in the special.
