Nick Cannon suffered an identity crisis during his marriage to Mariah Carey.
The 44-year-old Wild N’ Out star was married to the singer between 2008 and 2016 and they are parents to 13-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe — and Nick admits being in a relationship with a famous superstar left questioning his place in the world.
During an appearance on the Ray Daniels Presents podcast, Nick explained, “I didn’t actually really care what the world thought because the perception, you know, that is what it is. People are going to love you one day, hate you the next day.”
“I could care less about that … But going to myself with that pressure of, ‘Who am I?’ … I got married in my 20s, you know what I mean? To the biggest star in the world. My trajectory was here [downwards] and then hers – she’s already in a different stratosphere,” he continued.
“She’s got islands and I’m waking up at noon and people bringing me steaks on a platter. 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?’ There’s nothing wrong with it.”
Nick went on to admit he struggled with the family’s “hierarchy” following the birth of their twins, adding, “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.’ She deserves it. I believe she needs a dude like that. I’m just not that dude.”
Mariah previously opened up about the marriage in her memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey and insisted they were good together but “egos” got in the way of their relationship.
She wrote, “He was a good guy. He was faith-based. He was ambitious. He had been in the entertainment industry for a long time, so he understood the madness. He paid attention to me.”
“Honestly, I think Nick and I could have worked it out between the two of us, but egos and emotions got inflamed (which can translate into many billable lawyer hours, and ultimately it did). It was tough. We both wanted to make sure everything was cool for our family. We will always be family, and we make it work.”
You can watch the full podcast episode below.
