Nick Cannon Admits Being ‘Mariah Carey’s Man’ Caused Him To Question His Manhood

In a recent interview with the Ray Daniels Presents podcast, Nick Cannon admitted that his insecurities got the best of him during his marriage to Mariah Carey.

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Cannon showed vulnerability by opening up about how being Mariah Carey’s husband affected his ego, mainly because he didn’t feel like he had reached his full potential and was struggling with his self-identity.

“I got married in my 20s, you know what I mean? To the biggest star in the world,” he said 

“My trajectory was here,” he said, gesturing downwards, “and then hers — she’s already in a different stratosphere.”

The father of 12 also admitted that he got comfortable being the All I Want For Christmas singer’s husband and living in her bubble. “She’s got islands and I’m waking up at noon and people bringing me steaks on a platter,” he joked. 

“I would lay up at night thinking, like, ‘Is is this who I am? Am I Mariah’s man? Is that what my life is supposed to be?’ ” the TV personality said. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”

The former couple secretly got married in May 2008. They share two children together–twins Moroccan and Monroe who were born in 2011. Having children elucidated Cannon’s insecurities and caused him to further struggle with his masculinity and the “hierarchy” of their family.

“I’m carrying a purse, the diaper bag and, you know, I’m standing on the corner like, ‘Wait.’ She’s rocking being the alpha.” 

Cannon continued, “I believe she needs a dude like that. I’m just not that dude.” Cannon also shared that he got along well with the iconic singer and they barely got into arguments. 

Their marriage lasted about six years–in 2014, the former couple announced they were getting a divorce. Neither Carey nor Cannon have remarried since their divorce almost a decade ago. While the artist has gone on to father ten more children with multiple women, Carey hasn’t had any more on her end.

During a 2023 interview with The Shade Room, Nick also admitted that his ex-wife is the love of his life and praised the mother of his twins for being positive.

“No matter what’s happening in life. I’m like, ‘Wow, a person can really operate like that and don’t allow negative energy into their space,’” he said. “When I found out about how remarkable she was… that woman is not human. She’s a gift from God.”