Nick Cannon loves producing shows in Atlanta: ‘It’s where the culture is’

Published On: August 12, 2025

Credit: AJC/RODNEY HO

The most recent season of Wild n Out was filmed at Cinelease’s Three Ring Studio in Covington, where Cannon, aged 44, just filmed a portion of We Playin’ Spades.

He was not the podcast’s first host. Atlanta comedy Desi Banks and hip-hop icon Waka Flocka Flame led Season 1. For Season 2, he and Bee took over.

Cannon and Wondery, the podcast producer, decided to reimagine the show in his style. In his trailer at Three Ring Studio in late May, he stated that it was more about improving the visuals and making sure it resonated to the culture. He claimed that Spades is comparable to Uno and Dominoes in that it provides Black friends and family members with a reason to disparage one another verbally.

According to Cannon, it has to do with your chemistry with your spouse. It is typically performed during backyard parties and cookouts. The fun comes when I can be as theatrical as I can be.

In fact, he made the stage appear to be someone’s backyard. He added that the show is being seen just as often as it is being listened to as a conventional podcast.

“That digital visual, as they call it, has taken off thanks to YouTube,” he remarked.

And that doesn’t bother Cannon in the least, considering how much time he has spent watching TV. “I’m happy with everything,” he said.

Thanks to RODNEY H.

He claimed that his numerous famous pals don’t have a hard time on the show and frequently bring a friend or relative to make sure there are four players in the Spades game. According to him, they can enter and out in roughly ninety minutes. You don’t want to take up too much of your friends’ time when you’re tapping with them.

R&B artist Keith Sweat, Lil Wayne’s daughter Reginae Carter, and Love and Hip Hop Atlanta mainstays Momma Dee and her son Lil Scrappy are among the Atlanta superstars who joined Cannon this season.

Additionally, he brought in Cynthia Bailey and Porsha Williams from The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Last month’s loose and boisterous program included a twerking competition and Bailey’s account of the times she dressed up as 50 Cent.During her first season on Real Housewives, Williams recalled a memorable incident in which she confused the Underground Railroad for a real railroad.

Cannon uses the card game itself as a pretext to play around, but he’s also naturally competitive. Despite his claims that he usually prevails, he was defeated by a famous friend: I was rather upset when Kevin Hart entered the room and defeated me!He plays cards. However, it was fun!

Because she’s noisy, funny, and distracting, he picked Bee, a teacher and stand-up comedian he found on Wild n Out, as his Spades partner.

She refers to Cannon as my best friend. Going back and forth is always enjoyable for us. It all comes down to laughter. We only do that.

Similar to Dunwoody High School alumnus Ryan Seacrest and Atlanta resident Steve Harvey, Cannon is constantly on the run, constantly proposing shows, and constantly wheeling and dealing. He relies on exercise and meditation to stay energized, requiring less than five hours of sleep per night.

According to Bee, Nick is always coming up with fresh concepts. He never shuts off his mind.

Cannon stated, “I want to be creative and get up every day.”

Thanks to MTV@

Wild n Out, which has included hundreds of various comics over the past 20 years, including more recent works like Mojo Brookzz and Katt Williams and Pete Davidson, as well as Randall Park and Matt Rife, is Cannon’s biggest achievement to date.

As they prepare for a 22nd season, he stated, “We’re always looking for the next wave of talent.”

He invested $125,000 of his own funds to launch Wild n Out in 2005, and he still controls the intellectual property. According to him, Paramount has been a fantastic partner in giving me control over my brand.

He said that the show’s wild spirit is what makes it so great, saying, “We’re trying to replicate the way that Wild n Out combines comedy and hip-hop with Spades.” This is a result of our work on Wild n Out.

Atlanta is where the culture is, which is why he has filmed multiple seasons of Wild n Out there. I could give T.I. a call. I could give 2 Chainz a call. Last year, State Farm Arena was completely sold out.

In his hometown of Los Angeles, he recently recorded Nick Cannon at Night, another weekly Wondery podcast. He invited humorous friends and a relationship specialist to respond to inquiries about sex, life, and love. He claimed that Nick Cannon @ Night has a more raucous after-hours mood, whereas Spades has a more daytime feeling.

He declared, “We are reimagining the late-night area.”

Thanks to Adam Rose

On both podcasts, Cannon, who has 12 children with six different women, doesn’t mince words and often makes jokes about his prodigious childbearing.

“Someone shoots me in every episode,” he claimed. It’s awesome. I’m completely transparent.

Cannon wants his performances to endure for a very long time. His main source of inspiration is talk show presenter and producer Merv Griffin, who created classic game shows like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! and passed away in 2007 at the age of 82.

He remarked, “I see one of my sons hosting Wild n Out.” AI edition of Wild n Out!