(JTA) — The Brooklyn mathematics professor who gained notoriety after reports that he sired 22 children over the past 18 years with free sperm is married and has three children of his own.
Ari Nagel’s wife of 10 years, Roxanne, had no idea what Nagel did with his sperm, the New York Post reported Sunday, which was Father’s Day, citing an unnamed tipster.
The Post also reported that a 23rd baby procreated from his donated sperm is on the way to a single mother.
Nagel, 40, a math professor at Kingsborough Community College, part of the City University of New York, told the Post that he is married and that his wife is “livid” and “she’s been yelling at me a lot.” He maintains that his wife knew about his altruistic pastime but did not support it.
“She was never happy about all these other kids, but she tolerated it,” Nagel told the Post.
The couple have a 12-year-old son and daughters aged 5 and 2.
Nagel also told the newspaper that their relationship has not been romantic in years and they sleep in separate bedrooms.
He said he has had more than 100 requests from women to sire their children or to at least hook up since the article about his sperm donations appeared in last week’s Post.
Nagel said he typically produces the sperm in a men’s restroom and gives it to the woman in a cup. She then inserts it in the women’s restroom, the Post reported in an article last week. Many of the women are more comfortable meeting Nagel in a public place than in his apartment near downtown Brooklyn, according to the newspaper.
Nagel said he also has provided his sperm through intercourse.
“I’m not doing it for easy action,” Nagel told the Post. “Isn’t that what Tinder is for?”
He told the Post the free service and his high sperm count, as well as his good looks and attractive personality, are what make his sperm so popular.
He has successfully been sued for child support five times and told the Post that half of his paycheck is garnished for child support. He told the newspaper that the women he gives his sperm to all promise in advance that they won’t sue.
Nagel said he was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family with six siblings. He said his sperm donations allow him to have many children while “also getting a good night’s rest.”
He has kids in Florida, Illinois, Virginia, Connecticut and Israel. Nagel said he does not regret any of them.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
