Talk show host and reality star Nick Cannon may love having children, but he doesn’t love traditional marriage. So much so, in fact, that he doesn’t see himself reciting vows ever again.
The former America’s Got Talent host appeared on the It’s Tricky with Raquel Harper podcast and said he would never let the government get involved in his love life again.
“It depends on what you call marriage. Getting the government involved, nah. We can go have a ceremony somewhere. Why would 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.”
Cannon was previously married to pop superstar Mariah Carey from 2008 to 2016, and the couple share two children together. Cannon said he loved being married but he wouldn’t want to do it again.
“That to me was one of the greatest experiences of my life 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 continued. “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.”
He did, however, say that the couple are still “best friends” and that he has a lot of respect for his former spouse, but that he’s still healing from the whole experience.
“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.”
Since his divorce, Cannon has had a number of children with a number of different women. His son Zen passed away in December of last year after a battle with brain cancer. Cannon recently announced an eighth child was on the way with model Bre Tiesi. Despite the news, he’s seemingly adamant about his anti-marriage position. He also said he’s sure to let anyone he’s dating know that marriage is off the table.
“I let (them) know from the gate (my marriage views). It’s not out of disrespect, it’s more respect. It’s ‘I’m going to come to you as honest as I possibly can. This is who I am, this is what I struggle with, this is where I feel like I excel. If we can coexist, you’re responsible for your happiness. If I can add to it, I’m here. If I don’t add to it, I shouldn’t be here.”
Does that mean he’s looking to have more children? Apparently not. The host told E! News’s Daily Pop that he was scheduling a consultation for a particular procedure.
“I already went and got my vasectomy consultation. I ain’t looking to populate the Earth completely, but I’m definitely looking forward to taking care and loving all the children I currently have.”
We’ll believe it when we see it.
