Nick Cannon highlights Mariah Carey’s support during early lupus struggles
Nick Cannon says Mariah Carey "was the perfect helpmate, the perfect matriarch, the perfect mom, the perfect wife in those scenarios."
Eleven years after his lupus diagnosis, Nick Cannon reveals how vital his ex-wife, Mariah Carey, was in his health journey. On an episode of “The Diary of a CEO” podcast, Cannon reflected on how his diagnosis impacted his life and relationship.
“She was my rock, man,” Cannon told the host, Steven Bartlett. “She went hard. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t even be alive if it wasn’t for how hard she went, with the doctors, with me [and] my stubbornness.”
Cannon was first diagnosed with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that can trigger inflammation and pain throughout the body, in 2012. At the time, he and Carey had been married for nearly four years.
“She was the perfect helpmate, the perfect matriarch, the perfect mom, the perfect wife in those scenarios,” he explained. “Granted, she is who she is, and dealing with all the pressures of being Mariah Carey, but then being loving enough to take on all of my stuff.”
He added, “It probably took a toll on us just because of the person I was in my head and the struggles that I was dealing with. It probably took a toll on our relationship, but it definitely brought us closer together.”
Though the couple divorced in 2016, the “Wild’n Out” host believes that Carey saved his life.
“But I think that’s what you do,” he said about his now ex-wife’s support. “When you find a helpmate, when you find someone that you’re in matrimony with, you go hard for them. I felt like I went hard for her and will still go hard for her. I’d lay down my life for her today. You know, it’s just what you do. It’s just family.”
Cannon further explained the struggles he faced in the early stages of his diagnosis. In addition to the physical health aspects of lupus, the comedian said that he found himself reflecting and questioning whether or not he would live, the meaning of life, relationships, the purpose of his life, and what legacy he would leave the world and, most importantly, his children.
“Certain things didn’t matter anymore. Other things mattered too much,” he said. “I always felt like I had a ticking clock. But the ticking clock became more apparent in 2012, that I got to make the most out of today because tomorrow isn’t a promise.”
Though he has been managing the disease for over a decade now, Cannon explained that he gets flare-ups, moments where his symptoms get worse. In his experience, these flare-ups can cause blood clots, pulmonary embolisms, inflammation, inability to walk, kidney failure, organ failure, and more.
“It’s been quite the journey,” he said. “But you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only option. You just got to push through.”
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