'The Sperminator:' Man fathers nearly 140 kids through sperm donations

Can you imagine having 138 biological children? A man has been donating his sperm for free across the world for decades, a journey that has sparked controversy. 

Ari Nagel, an American Jew and New York City math professor, has been donating his sperm for decades, in many cases free of charge to those who can’t afford traditional sperm donors. He has been dubbed “The Sperminator”' for fathering nearly 140 kids through sperm donations in countries across the world, including in Israel. 

“You do it once and the mom is happy and the kid is happy, then you get approached again,” Ari Nagel told i24NEWS about how he got started with sperm donations. 

“I enjoy being a father, so initially the desire to grow my family was there," Nagel explained. "So I was helping these women grow their families and grow my family. Of course, after I had a dozen (kids), I wasn't worried about having my 13th, but instead helping that woman have her first child and giving her life’s greatest purpose.”

“I've never donated anonymously to a clinic. Sometimes, we’d use a fertility clinic. But the vast majority was me putting [my sperm] cup and giving it to them," Nagel said, noting that he also has “a dozen in the oven,” with two more sets of twins on the way and nine other women pregnant - which would bring him to 150 children.

During the Covid pandemic, the world saw an uptick in men donating sperm in exchange for money. The sperm is in turn sold to individuals needing fertility assistance such as single women, LGBTQ+ couples, or families facing infertility. And soon, a documentary called “Baby Daddy” will be released about his controversial journey.

“My co-director and I met Ari 10 years ago, and he told us, ‘I have eight kids.' We thought it was a great story… Five years later, Ari came to Israel and told us about a newspaper story that was the front cover of the New York Post, and he said 'let’s start filming,'" Yair Cymerman, co-director and cinematographer of "Baby Daddy," told i24NEWS.

When asked why he didn't go the traditional route with fertility clinics, he explained how the costs of going through such facilities are many times too high for women looking for sperm donors.

“In Israel, people are lucky. They have free fertility treatments for everyone until the age of 45. The only thing that costs money is the actual sperm. But in most places, you have to pay out of pocket, and the costs are exorbitant. So it's so much easier. Most of these women are really struggling with fertility, and it would cost them less than a dollar, so I help them save money that they could use for the child," Nagel said.

He even has time to spend time with some of his children, despite having dozens living in different countries. 

“Today I went to the park with three of my kids, and they get together all the time even when I'm not around. The mothers know who I am," Nagel said. "With some of the kids, I’m able to be a more full-time parent. I have kids here in Israel, in Hungary, and I have women pregnant in Spain, so my travels don’t let me be a full-time dad. But my presence is more than what the anonymous sperm donor can do."

Cymerman went as far as to call him the "Robin Hood of fertility."

"In one way, he’s giving women the thing they want the most in life, but on the other hand, there are repercussions,” the filmmaker said.

“A lot of women sued him and took him to court, so he’s paying more than half of his salary to child support. He’s gotten to the point where he’s lost control of what he's doing because it feels like an everyday thing. I see the good parts, and I see the problematic parts. And I bet his children will ask a lot of questions in a few years.”