For many years, Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey were one of those “It” celebrity couples. The two first met in 2005 and would marry three years later in the Bahamas. They welcomed their twin boys not long after but ultimately finalized a divorce in 2016. Ever since, the pair have moved on with new partners – multiple partners (and multiple babies) for Cannon. Yet, interestingly, there was some speculation that the former All That star was trying to win back his ex-wife through song recently, and he’s responding to all the hoopla.
Facts: there was a new song released on YouTube. There was indeed a Mariah Carey ode on it. And there were suggestive lyrics from Nick Cannon about keeping his “distance” and not wanting to “fuck it up” for someone he seemingly knew who had moved on. Not long after, Carey herself, who is typically private about her relationships, posted a selfie with her boyfriend for Valentine’s Day.
In response to the situation, while on his eponymous show, the host again to clear some things up. He in fact acknowledged the possibility of wanting his ex back, saying:
I dropped a song on my upcoming mixtape. The mixtape is where I get real, raw and personal. I dropped a song on Valentine’s Day for all the people out there that was alone on Valentine’s Day. I did a song called ‘Alone.’ And it sampled one of my favorite Mariah Carey songs ‘Love Takes Time.’ … Everybody was saying that this was my song to try to get Mariah back. I know that’s impossible.
It’s likely impossible simply because Mariah Carey is with someone else, and there’s the matter of Nick Cannon’s complicated sex life these days. (His eighth baby is soon on the way.) Apparently, he tried to go celibate for a time but just couldn’t hold out, adding that he has no intention of stopping his baby-making if God so wills it. (Carey took a bit of a shot at the idea of the kids being her kids’ “step siblings.”) But the Masked Singer host also noted of late that the song is an attempt to make amends toward the mother of his first children. He said:
The song is really about reflection, the process of when somebody, and men we do this a lot, where you realize, ‘Man, I really messed up.’ I had probably the greatest situation. I had my dream girl, and I messed it up. … The song wasn’t really about trying to get her back. It was taking ownership of what I did as a man and owning my flaws and expressing it through song.
So, all in all, the song was actually about the “Vision of Love” songstress. But what did he do to “mess it up”? At the time of Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey’s divorce, they claimed that they had simply grown apart. However, there were persistent rumors that Cannon had cheated, especially after he had a kid with Brittany Bell only months after the divorce. Carey would only say in her 2020 memoir, per Distractify, that their hectic schedules took a “toll” on their marriage. Cannon himself doesn’t specifically own up to any cheating in the new song but, through the lyrics, he did say he “ain’t shit,” that he “fucked up” and “can’t stop crying.”
It’s not far-fetched that the former America’s Got Talent host would’ve tried to get his ex back through music. Kanye West attempted to woo ex Kim Kardashian back via song not long ago – and it hasn’t exactly worked in his favor…
Music is a very interesting way for one to sort out their feelings. But I guess however Nick Cannon needs to process, six years later.