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- Nick Cannon recently shared his feelings of insecurity during his six–year marriage to Mariah Carey.
- Cannon expressed that he struggled with Carey’s dominant role in their relationship.
- “I would lie awake at night, questioning, ‘Is this who I am? Am I just Mariah’s man?'” he stated.
Throughout their six-year union, Nick Cannon was acutely aware of public perception: “The kid from Nickelodeon is with Mariah Carey?”
“Psychologically, that began to mess with me,” Cannon disclosed during a recent episode of the Ray Daniels Presents podcast.
Cannon rose to fame as a child star on Nickelodeon’s “All That” and its spin-off “The Nick Cannon Show,” where he was an ardent admirer of Carey, who is eleven years older than him. Their romance rumors ignited in 2008 when he appeared in her music video for “Bye Bye.” At the time, he was 27 while she had just turned 39.
Shortly after the video’s release, they tied the knot secretly. The couple welcomed twins Moroccan and Monroe in 2011 but announced their separation three years later.
Despite their age difference and rapid engagement, Cannon told Daniels that external opinions didn’t bother him; however, internalized notions about masculinity did weigh heavily on him. “I got married young to one of the biggest stars globally. My career trajectory was here while hers soared into another realm,” said Cannon. ”I would lie awake thinking about my identity: ‘Am I just Mariah’s man? Is this my purpose?'”
Cannon has mentioned being a millionaire by his early twenties.
The year following his wedding marked significant milestones for him; he became honorary chairman and development consultant for TeenNick, alongside launching his production company called NCredible. He has since hosted popular shows like VH1’s “Wild ‘n Out” and Fox’s “The Masked Singer.” Currently, at age 44, it’s estimated that his entertainment ventures generate around $100 million annually.
On the other hand, Mariah Carey stands as one of history’s best-selling artists and holds records as Billboard’s top female soloist with an impressive tally of nineteen No. 1 hits—more than any other woman—trailing only The Beatles overall.
The exact figure regarding Carey’s net worth remains undisclosed; however based on recent trends involving legacy artists selling their catalogs her extensive collection likely holds value well into hundreds of millions. For instance last year Billboard reported that her iconic holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, alone generates over $8 million annually through global revenue streams including publishing royalties.source
Cannon acknowledged becoming accustomed to an extravagant lifestyle during their marriage: “I got really comfortable living lavishly—waking up late while people served me gourmet meals,” he chuckled reminiscing about those days.
This dynamic shifted once they had children; according to him it intensified feelings surrounding family roles within which insecurities flourished further: “Here I am carrying diaper bags while she confidently embraces being alpha,” recalled Cannnon adding humorously how out-of-place it felt sometimes saying “I’m not cut out for this.”
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“When someone exists within such an expansive world filled with opportunities you feel like you’re merely playing supporting character!” said cannon reflecting upon those times.
“IT MAKES SENSE FOR MEN FEEL THREATENED IF THEIR GIRLFRIEND EXCELS AT SOMETHING THEY’RE BOTH WORKING ON SUCH AS WEIGHT LOSS,” SAID LEAD AUTHOR KATE RATLIFF PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA ADDITIONALLY STATING EVIDENCE SHOWS MEN AUTOMATICALLY VIEW A PARTNER’S SUCCESS AS THEIR OWN FAILURE EVEN WITHOUT DIRECT COMPETITION INVOLVED.”
