Mariah Carey’s kids, Moroccan and Monroe Cannon, are her fraternal twins with ex-husband Nick Cannon, born on April 30, 2011, in Los Angeles—the same day as their parents’ third wedding anniversary. Monroe, the older of the two by minutes, was named after Marilyn Monroe, while Moroccan got his name from the Moroccan-themed decor in the top floor of Mariah’s New York City apartment, where Nick proposed.
Both names were carefully chosen to match Mariah’s “MC” initials, a quirky detail that fits perfectly with her love for themes and glamour. From the start, these two were destined to stand out, not just because of their famous parents but because of their own budding personalities, which have been on full display over the years.
Mariah Carey Shares Two Children With Her Ex-Husband
Nick Cannon couldn’t contain his excitement when the twins arrived, tweeting, “My wife just gave me the most incredible anniversary gift ever in life! I won’t ever be able to top this!” And he wasn’t wrong. Monroe, affectionately called “Roe,” and Moroccan, nicknamed “Roc” or “Rocky,” have been stealing the spotlight ever since. Despite Mariah and Nick’s divorce in 2016, they’ve nailed the co-parenting game, staying close friends for the sake of their offspring.
Mariah once told PEOPLE, “They’re a lot, but they give me so much love in return. I wouldn’t be the same person without them.” Nick echoed the sentiment, emphasizing how they keep the twins grounded: “I want my kids to understand that every child isn’t as fortunate as they are.”
Monroe is clearly her mother’s mini-me, not just in looks but in talent. At just six years old, she joined Mariah on stage at the Hollywood Bowl to sing “Always Be My Baby,” and by 2022, she was performing “Away in a Manger” during Mariah’s Christmas tour. Mariah has gushed about Monroe’s musical ear, saying, “Miss Monroe has a really, really good ear for music and a really beautiful tone, but I can’t force her to sing, so if she wants to, she’ll sing.”
Monroe also made her modeling debut at 10 in an OshKosh B’Gosh ad, channeling a younger version of Mariah with a voice-over from her mom: “As a little girl, I was determined to realize my dreams. Now as a mother, it brings me so much joy to see my children visualize and develop the dreams they hold in their own hearts.”
But Monroe isn’t just a performer—she’s a jokester, too. In a viral TikTok, she and Moroccan fake a fashion show before devolving into a playful wrestling match. Another clip shows her pretending to hit Mariah’s high notes, only for her mom to pop out from behind a door, revealing Monroe was lip-syncing. And let’s not forget the time she and Nick wrapped themselves in blankets, dancing and lip-syncing to Mariah’s “Emotions.” Monroe’s humor shines through in her Instagram Reels, like when she mocked her mom’s diva tendencies by lip-syncing to “It’s a Wrap” before Mariah snatched the mic away.
Moroccan, on the other hand, is the family’s resident comedian. When he lost his first tooth at five-and-a-half, Mariah captured his adorable excitement in a video: “My tooth fell out and I’m so excited and so happy! I want to show my mom so bad!” Nick once revealed that Moroccan called him a “player,” teasing, “Dad, you can’t be a player forever.”
Moroccan’s witty side was also on display during a New Year’s Eve speech in 2020, where he deadpanned, “A lot of people might’ve not thought that this year was perfect, but this year was inspiring to me… ’Cause I had it too good for too long, man, and I just was like, ‘Ah, this is so good,’ and I needed a jumpstart.”
The twins’ bond is unshakeable, whether they’re goofing off or supporting each other’s milestones. In April 2025, Moroccan was livestreaming on Twitch when Mariah and Monroe crashed the session, sending his friends into a frenzy. “Mom, they can see you. They’re saying, ‘Hi Mariah, I love you!’ Oh my God,” he groaned, before hilariously kicking them out of his room. Despite the embarrassment, it’s clear how close-knit they are. Mariah even joined them for a belated Halloween photoshoot in 2025, dressing up as chipmunks.
Mariah Carey makes an appearance on her son’s Twitch livestream. pic.twitter.com/yuU5qkaB2g
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 5, 2025
Life as the children of two entertainment icons isn’t exactly normal, as Nick joked on the Howie Mandel podcast in 2023: “Their lives are far from normal. Their mom is one of the biggest entertainers to ever live, and their dad is me.” But Mariah and Nick have worked hard to balance the glitz with grounding lessons. The twins have walked red carpets, vacationed on yachts, and starred in their dad’s YouTube mansion tour (complete with a ball pit and a Louis Vuitton Iron Man helmet). Yet they’ve also been taught humility, with Mariah Carey admitting in 2019, “It’s hard, but I try to keep them grounded so they don’t think everything is just handed to them.”
