Mariah Carey's ex Nick Cannon reveals what really led to their divorce

Nick Cannon is reflecting on his marriage to Mariah Carey , and some of the internal issues he dealt with in those years.

The "Fantasy" singer first met her former husband in 2005, and they started dating and married in 2008, when she was 39 and he was 28 years old.

They welcomed twins Moroccan and Monroe, 13, in 2011, and split in 2016, and now The Masked Singer host, who has since welcomed ten other children with five different women, is reflecting on how getting married in his 20s impacted the relationship.

Appearing on the Ray Daniels Presents podcast last week, Nick opened up about the insecurities he felt while married to Mariah.

"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," he first explained, maintaining: "I could care less about that."

However, he did admit he had a certain pressure that made him question: "Who am I?" and noted: "I got married in my 20s, you know what I mean? To the biggest star in the world."

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He further explained that there was a contrast in his career trajectory and that of Mariah's at the time, who he said was "already in a different stratosphere."

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Nick explained that the comfort and privilege that he experienced in the marriage led to a struggle in defining his own identity outside of it, as he shared: "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?'"

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Though he maintained "there's nothing wrong with it," he also added that once they had children, he further struggled with the "hierarchy" of their marriage.

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"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," he recalled, and as host Ray Daniels shared that Mariah "deserves it," Nick maintained: "I believe she needs a dude like that. I'm just not that dude."

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In addition to his twins with Mariah, who are 13, Nick welcomed son Golden Sagon in February 2017 with Brittany Bell, with whom he also shares daughter Powerful Queen, born in December 2020, and son Rise Messiah, born in October 2022.

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In June 2021, he welcomed another set of twins, sons Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, with model and DJ Abby de la Rosa, with whom he also shares daughter Beautiful Zeppelin, born in November 2022, a month after his son Rise with Brittany was born.

Moreover, in July of 2022, he welcomed son Legendary Love with Selling Sunset star Bre Tiesi, and his daughter with LaNisha Cole , Onyx Ice Cole, was born in September 2022, and that December, he welcomed daughter Halo Marie, who he shares with Alyssa Scott.