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Nick Cannon recently revealed the personal insecurities he experienced during his marriage to Mariah Carey on the Ray Daniels Presents podcast. Reflecting on their relationship, Cannon shared how being married to one of the world's most famous singers led him to question his own identity and sense of masculinity.
"I got married in my 20s...to the biggest star in the world," Cannon recounted. Despite the public's perception, he said, "I didn't actually really care what the world thought," but admitted that he struggled internally. "I would lay up at night thinking, like, 'Is this who I am? Am I Mariah's man? Is that what my life is supposed to be?'" He described how their fame gap created a unique pressure, as Carey was already "in a different stratosphere," while he felt his own career trajectory was on a downward slope.
When the couple welcomed their twins, Moroccan and Monroe, in 2011, he found himself adjusting to a new family hierarchy. "I'm carrying a purse, the diaper bag, and, you know, I'm standing on the corner like, 'Wait,'" he said, adding that Carey naturally took on the role of "alpha." Acknowledging her strength, he admitted, "She deserves it," and confessed that while Carey needed a strong partner, he felt he wasn't the right fit. "I believe she needs a dude like that. I'm just not that dude," he concluded.
Reflecting on his life alongside Carey, Cannon said he became "comfortable" in her world, describing a lifestyle where "she's got islands, and I'm waking up at noon with people bringing me steaks on a platter." Yet, these luxuries left him feeling detached from his previous drive and ambition. He remarked that being her husband affected his self-image, leading him to question if his success was merely a result of his connection to Carey.
Cannon and Carey secretly married in 2008 and announced their divorce in 2014. Since then, Cannon has fathered ten more children with several partners, while Carey has remained focused on her career and family. Their relationship, however, remains amicable, with Cannon praising Carey's resilience. "No matter what's happening in life," he noted, "she doesn't allow negative energy into her space. That woman is not human. She's a gift from God."
