Cannon Says Carey Remarks Drew Him Into Eminem Feud

Nick Cannon said he entered his feud with Eminem because the rapper had made harsh remarks about Mariah Carey while she was Cannon’s wife, describing the dispute as a matter of defending their relationship and her dignity. Cannon discussed the history in an interview on On Par With Maury Povich.

Cannon said Carey and Eminem had a professional relationship before he and Carey married, but that Eminem had characterized it as personal. He said Eminem made harsh comments after the marriage, which Cannon said prompted him to respond. His account explains his own stated reason for joining a conflict that had begun before his relationship with Carey.

The history of Carey and Eminem’s relationship remains disputed. Carey has maintained that nothing happened between them, while Eminem said in a 2002 interview that there was some truth to a relationship but that he did not like her as a person. Those statements do not independently establish what occurred between the two.

Cannon and Carey married in 2008 and divorced in 2016. The feud between Carey and Eminem had already drawn attention before Cannon became involved. Eminem referred to Carey and Cannon in Bagpipes From Baghdad, and Carey’s...