Nick Cannon gets real about insecurities he felt married to ‘alpha’ Mariah Carey

Nick Cannon is no longer “Mariah [Carey’s] man” — but he’s looking back on their time together.

The actor described the insecurities he felt during their marriage from 2008 to 2016 on the most recent episode of the “Ray Daniels Presents” podcast.

“I got married in my 20s … to the biggest star in the world,” the “Masked Singer” host, 44, recalled, calling Carey’s level of fame on “a different stratosphere” from his own.

Nick Cannon confessed to feeling insecure while married to “alpha” Mariah Carey. WireImage The former couple wed in 2008 and finalized their divorce eight years later. Getty Images for VEVO

“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?'” Cannon admitted.

The rapper’s doubts heightened after Carey, 55, gave birth to their now-13-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, in 2011.

“I’m carrying a purse, the diaper bag and, you know, I’m standing on the corner like, ‘Wait,'” the “All That” alum said of their family “hierarchy” at the time.

On Thursday, Cannon recalled marrying “the biggest star in the world” in his 20s. Ray Daniels Presents/Youtube The singer’s fame was in a “different stratosphere” than his own. Christopher Polk

“She’s rocking being the alpha,” Cannon continued, clarifying that his ex-wife “deserves” that role in a relationship.

“I believe she needs a dude like that,” he said. “I’m just not that dude.”

Since their split, Cannon has gone on to welcome 10 children with Brittany Bell, Alyssa Scott, Abby De La Rosa, Bre Tiesi and Lanisha Cole.

The duo’s relationship “hierarchy” shifted when they had kids. mariahcarey/Instagram Moroccan and Monroe were born in 2011. nickcannon/Instagram

In May 2023, Cannon joked to Jason Lee that Carey has a “high frequency” reaction to him welcoming Golden, 7, Powerful, 3, twins Zion and Zillion, 3, Legendary, 2, Onyx, 2, Rise, 2, Beautiful, 1, Halo, 1, and Zen, who died in 2021.

“She always asks me, ‘You aight? How you doin’? You handling it all?'” the “Wild ‘N Out” host said. “When we talk daily, she’s just checking in on my spirit.”

As for Carey’s love life, the singer most recently dated dancer Bryan Tanaka for seven years.

“I’m carrying a purse, the diaper bag,” Cannon said. Getty Images “I believe she needs a dude like that,” Cannon said of Carey. Getty Images

News broke in December 2023 of the former couple calling it quits, but Carey has yet to address the headlines.

The Grammy winner did release a statement in August after her mother, Patricia Carey, and sister Alison Carey died on the same day.

Mariah thanked her fans for their support during the “impossible time.”

The rapper has gone on to welcome 10 more children. GC Images He shares the little ones with Abby De La Rosa, pictured above, and four other women. Getty Images for AVA Resort

Cannon spoke exclusively to Page Six about his ex’s grieving journey earlier this month.

“She’s doing the best that she possibly can, considering the circumstances,” he said. “But as a family, we just got to be there to support one another, show love.

“She’s really having a great time with the kids,” Cannon concluded. “That is, you know, the most important thing in the world to her, so it’s outstanding to see them supporting their mom the way they do.”