Nick Cannon Isn't "Built For Marriage" After Mariah Carey Divorce: "I Had To Go Within"

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Nick Cannon

He called their union "one of the greatest experiences" of his life and questioned what could be better.

As Nick Cannon receives offers from vasectomy companies, he's also speaking more about his views on traditional relationships. By now, the world has recognized that Cannon and his crew march to the beat of their own familial drum, and as unconventional as it is, the media mogul has made it work. His reported 8th child will arrive sometime this year, prompting Cannon to address his thoughts on marriage, fatherhood, and family.

Cannon has been on a press tour as he promotes his recent release, Raw N B: The Explicit Tape. While chatting with It's Tricky with Raquel Harper, Cannon admitted that after his marriage to Mariah, he isn't looking to tie the knot ever again.

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"It depends on what you call marriage. Getting the government involved? Nah. We can go have a ceremony somewhere," he said. "Why would the government be involved in your love life? That seems so bizarre to me. It's really a business and to bring business and love together, that's a tough one to get involved with

He also called his marriage to Carey "one of the greatest experiences of my life," adding, "And for that to come to an end as well, why would I go back if I couldn't make that work out right?"

"Once I gave my all to a scenario, going forward, I'd have to be presented with something I've never seen before in order to go back to something like that," he added. "I did my best in this space, and now I feel like there's a new journey in my life. I'm not going to backtrack and put myself in that situation again because it doesn't get better than that."

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Cannon and Carey announced their split in 2014 but their divorce wouldn't be finalized until two years later. Still, the Wild 'n Out mogul admitted that he may not be fully healed from the breakup. "Divorce is a sense of, 'You failed,' and when you have that level of failure with everyone seeing it, it was a lot on me for a long time," he said. "I didn't really know how to process it. I had to go find myself. I had to go within."

"I love my family and I love all of my children and every woman that's given me the blessing to experience that, but marriage and all that goes into that, it's a lot. I mean, everybody who's married knows that it is," he said on the podcast. "You're literally entering a partnership that says, 'We're two [becoming] one.' I'm not built for that. I've tried it, I've tried it, even without infidelity or any of those things. And I have to admit, clearly, I have issues with being selfish. I have issues with insecurity. I have issues where most people can't admit, but I've struggled with my ego and all that stuff."

"So to be able to open up after marriage and be like, 'Now I got to work on myself. Now I got to work on being the best me,' and still hitting hurdles and still coming up with challenges daily? I'm like, I don't even want to put the toxic energy that I'm working through onto someone else. You never want to be responsible for someone else's happiness. So when I'm dealing with someone from this point on, it's, 'How can we work on you being the best individual you can be, me being the best individual I can be, and we coexist in this space.'"

Watch his appearance on It's Tricky with Raquel Harper below.


About The Author
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.