Nick Cannon is doing something he hasn’t always done in public — reflecting out loud. While promoting his upcoming late-night show, the media mogul and father of 12 sat down with Extra and got honest about how raising daughters has reshaped his perspective on relationships.

“When you have five daughters and you're like, ‘All right, I at least want to be able to be true and honest,’” he said, “but like I can't live the same life that I've always been living.” Cannon admitted he’s trying to lead with more intention these days, aware that his girls are watching and learning from the way he moves. “Hopefully, my daughters learn from my mistakes and not date people like their dad.”

That admission comes after years of public conversation around his unconventional family life, and the jokes, memes, and think pieces that often follow.

The 43-year-old’s transparency isn’t new. In March, he told PEOPLE that he’s hitting pause on expanding his family for now. “I love children. I love my life [...] I never imagined that I would have 12 kids,” he said. 

In his Extra interview, he emphasized that being present is his priority. “You can be present and have multiple relationships,” Cannon explained. “We're seeing so many different flavors of fatherhood now.” 

Whether the late-night talk show is a new era or just another branch of the Cannon empire, one thing’s clear — fatherhood is forcing him to grow in real time. And if it’s up to him, his daughters won’t follow his dating blueprint.