(LEFT) LaNisha Cole selfie, (RIGHT) Brian Paulkuba selfie. Courtesy of their independent Instagram profiles
LaNisha Cole is fed up with being called Nick Cannon‘s ‘baby mama’ and let it be known this week. Cole and Cannon welcomed Onyx Ice Cole Cannon on September 14–her first child and his ninth.
She’s been selectively private about their daughter. The first time folks learned about LaNisha’s introduction to motherhood was the day after Onyx was born. At the time, both Nick and LaNisha shared a hospital selfie. The move was unusual for Cannon, who tends to announce and flaunt his offspring in stunning maternity shoots.
But on Wednesday, the photographer and former model broke her usual silence for the second time in a week. LaNisha shared a few messages on Instagram Story for “nasty” critics and their “disrespectful messages” regarding her parental and former relationship ties to Nick.
“I get that it’s easy to sit on your phone and look at a tiny glimpse of a person’s life and feel like you’re better than them,” Cole wrote. “Yes, I’ve made mistakes. Yes, I’ve put myself through unnecessary pain and heartbreak (which we’ve all done in the name of love. You have too!)”
LaNisha continued:
“But I’m choosing to do better. Call me baby mama $538 every time I say the sky is blue is uncalled for, and it’s getting old. I get it. My life plays out publicly, but there’s a lot you don’t see,” Cole wrote. “There’s always so much more I want to say, but this isn’t the time. I wouldn’t change a single thing about my journey because I’m in a beautiful place now and everything has to happen the way it did for me to get here.”
The photographer also sent healing prayers to those being “so bitter towards a person [they] don’t know.” As for her, LaNisha says she’s made peace with all her life decisions and encouraged the naysayers to “get out of toxic comment sections on social media.”
In her critics clapback, Cole seemingly suggested she has experienced a toxic relationship. But the mother of one didn’t necessarily point the finger at Nick. Instead, she encouraged followers to share their “stories of overcoming obstacles and leaving toxic relationships.”
Cole and Nick previously shared an on-and-off-again romance, even celebrating Valentine’s Day together in 2021. By May that year, they were seemingly off again, and she denied swirling pregnancy and secret baby rumors. Months later, they rekindled–given their December conception–and the talks were no longer just that.
Her latest message comes days after she seemingly labeled Cannon’s separate holiday photoshoots with Abby De La Rosa, Bre Tiesi, and their children as “fake IG photo op love.”
At the time, her posts alluded that people had been sending and tagging her in Nick’s holiday posts, which she called “messy.” LaNisha explained that her goal was to maintain peace for her daughter’s sake.
“[Onyx] is incredibly blessed and is surrounded by so much love–and it’s not fake IG photo op love–it’s real day-in and day-out love,” LaNisha wrote.
Not even 48 hours later, one of Nick Cannon’s tribe regulars, Bre Tiesi, seemingly came to his defense. She is the mother of Cannon’s eighth child, Legendary Love.
“Nick always shows up! Always present, happy, consistent, loving parent, and an even better person! We love u,” Tiesi wrote in response to a DM’ed compliment for Nick.
After dragging critics, LaNisha turned the spotlight to someone special in her life, Brian Paulkuba. She shared a selfie from January 2022–while presumably struggling emotionally and before she became aware of her pregnancy. The photo, Cole says, shows “the first genuine smile” she had flashed in a while. She had taken it in the car while parked at a museum for a solo date.
While there, she met Brian, a filmmaker, and producer. He introduced himself to LaNisha, and they talked for a few minutes before she asked to take his picture. In her words, “I’ve taken his pic every day since.”
Cole says the outing “forever changed the course of [her] life for the better.”
“Lord knows I needed someone like him to be by my side throughout one of the most difficult and important moments of a woman’s life. Y’all have been watching it play out this entire time,” Cole shared.
Amid LaNisha’s praise, Brian reposted her selfie and the photo she snapped of him that day in the museum. His caption said, “the day that changed my life.”
It’s unclear if Brian and LaNisha are officially dating, but they clearly spend an ample amount of time together–working, hanging out, and showing each other plenty of online praise. A scroll on either of their Instagram timelines shows it.
And it looks like Brian is also around to give Onyx some of that “real day-in and day-out love” LaNisha was recently bragging on. Brian’s comment under LaNisha’s recent post of him and Onyx says it all.
“Our best days were with you Lil Onyx. And now you’re finally here, going to work with us. You’ve been there from the beginning. Thank you, to @manchastudio for your time, my brother, and to L .. you’ve had a vision and passion for this, now I truly see it. God is good. God is great. How lucky are we,” Brian wrote, including several emojis/
Under a separate post celebrating Onyx, Brian addressed the three-month-old as his “daughter.”
“All I want to do is cry tears of joy for my best friend & daughter. Never have I ever met someone so deserving of our joy & happiness. God bless you L and lil’ baby Onyx.”
