Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's Relationship Timeline

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon were married for six years and share twins Moroccan and Monroe

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon were once considered a Hollywood "it" couple.

The Grammy-winning songstress and the rapper-turned-television host were first linked to each other in early 2008 when Cannon starred in Carey's "Bye Bye" music video. The couple kept their whirlwind romance very low-key, and after just a few months of dating, they secretly tied the knot during a private ceremony in the Bahamas.

A few years later, the couple welcomed twins, Moroccan and Monroe.

In 2014, the couple shocked fans when they called it quits after six years of marriage. Despite a contentious divorce, Carey and Cannon are now on good terms, and their main focus is co-parenting their children.

"There's no hard feelings and ill will," Cannon told PEOPLE in 2017. "Ultimately, it's about putting the kids first and making sure they have the best childhood they could possibly have."

From tying the knot in secret to parenting twins, here is a complete timeline of Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's relationship.

August 16, 2005: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon meet at the Teen Choice Awards

Carey and Cannon first met at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, where Cannon presented Carey with the surfboard award for choice music R&B artist. Before they stepped onstage, they had a brief encounter backstage that Cannon never forgot.

"She had heard me speaking all of these positive, secret little nothings about her in interviews, and I remember seeing her backstage … and she stops right in front of me," he said in a clip from TV One's Uncensored in 2014. "She's like, 'I heard all those nice things you been saying about me.' I was like, 'They're true! Just give me an opportunity to make them come true!' And she smiled, and they floated her off."

April 2008: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon spark dating rumors

Three years later, Carey cast Cannon as her love interest in the "Bye Bye" music video. Sparks flew between the two on camera, which had fans speculating about a potential off-screen romance.

In April 2008, the "Touch My Body" singer's rep denied to PEOPLE that Carey and Cannon were dating. However, that same month, the two stars were spotted looking cozy together at an exclusive club in Las Vegas for rapper Da Brat's 34th birthday. At one point in the evening, Carey was seen whispering into Cannon's ear, while Cannon sang along to a particular lyric from JAY-Z's "Public Service Announcement."

"I got the hottest chick in the game," he sang as Carey raised her wine glass.

May 2008: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon get married

Although the couple still hadn't shared details of their relationship publicly, Cannon's relative, Linda Cannon, confirmed to E! News in early May 2008 that they had tied the knot after dating for less than two months. "He called and told us all about it," she said. "If that is what he wants, then we are happy for him."

Shortly after Cannon's relative confirmed the marriage, Carey and Cannon opened up about their private ceremony at the pop star's Bahamian estate and shared exclusive photos from the special day with PEOPLE.

The singer-songwriter said she and Cannon were "soulmates" and that she had "never felt a love like this was in the cards" for her.

"She is beautiful on the outside and 10 times as beautiful on the inside," Cannon added.

To celebrate the marriage, Cannon surprised his new wife by renting out Six Flags Magic Mountain in May and inviting dozens of their friends. That same month, they made their first public appearance as a married couple at the TIME 100 Gala in New York City with Carey's 17-carat wedding ring on full display.

July 2008: Mariah Carey reveals the details of Nick Cannon's two proposals

After the news of their marriage broke, the singer discussed why she and Cannon had kept their relationship private with Elle magazine in July 2008.

"We didn't want to give people a chance to be like, 'What are you doing? What are you talking about? This is so quick …. Are you sure?' " Carey said.

She also revealed that Cannon had proposed to her on two separate occasions, sharing details about both proposals. Carey explained that he first popped the question with a candy ring pop that had the 17-carat diamond engagement ring hidden inside. "They've been calling me Cinderella since I first started out," she told Elle. "Most people would think, Okay, please! This doesn't happen in real life."

A few days later, Cannon proposed again on a romantic helicopter ride.

Cannon also shared details of his new marriage that month and told PEOPLE, "It's the best thing that ever happened to me."

March 2009: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon discuss wanting to start a family

A year into their marriage, Cannon shared that he and Carey were thinking about starting a family, but wanted to get a few things "established" first before having kids.

"We love each other, so we're constantly in practice," he joked. "We're going to let nature take its course, but the course is not a long one."

May 2009: Nick Cannon slams Eminem for remarks about Mariah Carey

In May 2009, rapper Eminem wrote about Carey in his song "Bagpipes from Baghdad." The track is all about his alleged romance with the pop star, which Carey has always denied.

"Mariah whatever happened to us," he raps. "Why did we ever have to break-up?"

The track also disses Cannon with one line reading, "Nick Cannon, you better back the f— up. I'm not playing, I want her back, you punk."

Cannon defended his wife and called the rapper out for disrespecting her in an entry on his personal blog.

"Man to man, let's meet up and deal with this like adults," he wrote. "This is my invitation to you, whenever and wherever you like sir. So when you come out of your introverted hiding place and ask your bodyguards if you can go out and play by yourself, I'm here Pimp!"

Cannon continued, "So, Miss Marshall, I'm going to make you wish you never spoke my name and regret the ungodly things you said about my wife."

August 2009: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon share the stage on America's Got Talent

In late 2009, Carey performed her single "Obsessed" during an episode of America's Got Talent, which Cannon was hosting at the time. After the performance, the couple shared a sweet moment on stage and Cannon called her his "soulmate."

"This beautiful woman next to me has more No. 1 hit singles than any single artist in the world," Cannon praised. "How do you do it?"

She alluded that the Beatles have more than her, to which Cannon responded, "We ain't worried about them because it's all about Mariah right now."

Carey showed her husband some support and said, "No, no. This is your show [...] I'm just so happy to be here."

January 17, 2010: Nick Cannon supports Mariah Carey on the Golden Globes red carpet

In 2009, Carey played a supporting role as a social worker in the drama Precious. The film received a Golden Globe nomination for best picture the following year, and Cannon was right by his wife's side at the awards ceremony. The couple walked the red carpet together and Cannon sweetly held his wife's umbrella to protect her from the rain as she posed for pictures.

April 30, 2010: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon renew their vows

In honor of their second wedding anniversary, Carey and Cannon renewed their vows, as they had for their first anniversary the previous year. Cannon opened about the tradition on his New York radio show in April 2010.

"I encourage everybody to do it. If you are happy and in love, celebrate it!" Cannon said.

"Don't everybody do that?" the entertainer asked his audience. "Don't, like, Heidi Klum and Seal do the same thing every year? It's just something fun to celebrate. We renew our vows and exchange gifts."

Cannon also revealed that he and Carey traveled back to the Bahamas — where they got married — to renew their vows for their one-year anniversary. However, Cannon said he wanted to do something more laid-back for year two. "This year we want to do it like in a normal setting, so it might be in L.A.," he said. "Hey, I say we do it in a church in Brooklyn. That will be hot."

May 2010: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon shut down pregnancy rumors

In May 2010, Carey pulled out of her role in Tyler Perry's film adaption of the play For Colored Girls. The last-minute move sparked speculation that she and Cannon were expecting.

Carey's rep told PEOPLE she was "not at liberty" to discuss the superstar's personal life and did not explain Carey's withdrawal. Cannon later said that his wife would publicly share "any announcements" when she was ready to do so.

"My wife has been in this business for a long time and dealt with so many things, she knows how to handle herself," he said on his morning radio show. "She's a very, very strong woman, probably the strongest woman I know, and I love her dearly. So, when she tells me something, I'll tell y'all, probably after I tell my mama."

October 2010: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon confirm they're expecting

After months of speculation, Carey and Cannon finally confirmed their pregnancy in October 2010. "Yes, we are pregnant. This is true," Carey said on the Today show. "It's been a long journey. It's been tough because I've been trying to hold on to a shred of privacy."

Cannon, who was also present for the interview, described the news as "absolutely emotional" and said a child is "the greatest gift on earth."

The couple also revealed that two years prior, Carey suffered a miscarriage. Cannon said the loss "strengthened" their relationship, though, and that his wife "handled it so well."

December 16, 2010: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon announce they're expecting twins

A few months after they revealed their pregnancy, Carey and Cannon surprised the public with another announcement: they were expecting twins.

Cannon shared the news on his radio show in December 2010 and said that just days before, Carey had been asked about her pregnancy by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama when they attended TNT's Christmas in Washington 2010.

"They, ironically enough, questioned my wife about, you know, 'So, what are you having, are you having twins?' " Cannon said. "And at this point she hadn't told anybody anything because doctors advised us to keep it to ourselves until we get further along. And because of the excitement, because of the emotion, she was overwhelmed [and] she shared with the President and First Lady that we are having twins."

April 30, 2011: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon welcome twins

On April 30, 2011 — the same day as their wedding anniversary — Carey and Cannon welcomed two babies, one boy and one girl.

Carey's rep told PEOPLE that the new mother was "doing great" and that she and Cannon had listened to Carey's hit single "We Belong Together" after the babies were born. "I spoke to both of them and they are both completely overjoyed," the rep said.

A few days later, after dropping hints about both babies having "M" names, the couple announced that they named their son Moroccan Scott and their daughter Monroe.

Their little girl's name was inspired by Marilyn Monroe, one of Carey's biggest inspirations, while Moroccan's name paid homage to the Moroccan-style decor in Carey's N.Y.C. apartment. Moroccan's middle name, Scott, is both Cannon's middle name and his grandmother's maiden name. Monroe, on the other hand, was not given a middle name.

January 2012: Mariah Carey supports Nick Cannon through a health scare

In early January 2012, the America's Got Talent host was hospitalized for mild kidney failure and Carey never left his side.

She told PEOPLE that her husband was "in a lot of pain," but still in "good spirits."

"We are hopeful that he'll be 100 percent as soon as possible," she said. "We really appreciate everybody's love and support."

Later, Cannon addressed his health on Twitter, noting he would be relocated to a hospital in Los Angeles. "Thank you all for all your love, prayers and concern. You know me … I will be a'ight," he wrote.

April 30, 2012: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon take a trip Paris with their kids

After Cannon had recovered, he and Carey, along with a few close friends and the twins, traveled to Paris to celebrate Moroccan and Monroe's first birthday.

PEOPLE reported that the birthday festivities included custom-made French pastries, balloons, toys and lots of confetti.

On the same trip, the new parents also renewed their vows for the fourth time with a ceremony atop the Eiffel Tower. The singer reflected on her romantic evening on Twitter and wrote, "Tonight was an incredible night. I can't express how amazing it was to renew our vows in Paris."

April 30, 2013: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon celebrate their 5th anniversary

Carey and Cannon celebrated both their wedding anniversary and the twins' second birthday with an extravagant party at Disneyland.

The whole family wore matching prince and princess costumes as Carey and Cannon renewed their vows in the Sleeping Beauty Castle, followed by a fairytale-themed reception with rides and lavish decor.

August 2014: A source tells PEOPLE Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's marriage is on the rocks

Rumors that Carey and Cannon were having issues in their marriage began to circulate in August 2014. A source told PEOPLE that their six-year marriage had "been bad for a while." The insider also said that Carey was staying with the kids at her and Cannon's New York apartment while Cannon was "staying in hotels."

Another source close to the family told PEOPLE that professional concerns could have caused tension in their relationship.

"When things don't go well career-wise, sometimes you turn on your other half," the second insider said, noting that those close to the couple feared that a separation could get ugly. "There is a lot to fight over. It could get contentious."

Later in August, Carey was spotted without her wedding ring in N.Y.C., seemingly confirming the breakup rumors. That same month, Cannon hosted America's Got Talent sans his own wedding ring.

September 2014: Mariah Carey focuses on her tour amid her split from Nick Cannon

After the news of their split broke, Carey threw herself into work and focused on her upcoming tour as well as her children.

Carey shared her excitement for the tour on her website and wrote, "I want to experience the spontaneity and emotion that I put into this album on stage with my fans." She continued, "I can't stop writing songs so don't be surprised if you hear a brand new song that I just wrote the night before the show in your city!"

Cannon, on the other hand, spent some of that month in Toronto, where he hosted an event with Pepsi.

The entertainer also defended his wife on Twitter and addressed the status of their relationship, calling the period a "challenging" time.

"What infuriates me most is to hear people slander @MariahCarey," he tweeted. "I will forever be indebted to her for blessing me with our children. I will always love her unconditionally for this and so much more. @MariahCarey is an amazing Mother and I trust her wholeheartedly."

December 2014: Nick Cannon opens up about his breakup with Mariah Carey

In a December 2014 Good Morning America interview, Cannon confirmed that he and Carey had separated. He also shared that their main focus was co-parenting their two children.

"We'll forever be family," the America's Got Talent host said. "We're there for our children, and are making them the number one priority and understanding that they're loved and can have an amazing holiday."

Earlier that month, he told PEOPLE that he was trying to "stay positive" in the midst of his split and get through life "one day at a time."

"Ultimately I would think that is what life is all about, to try to pursue happiness," he said. "I try to wake up and take each day with a grain of salt, and say, 'How can I be happy today? How can I affect someone else's day, and hopefully make them happy?' "

Late December 2016: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's divorce heats up

While working out the details of their divorce, things got contentious for the former couple.

A source told PEOPLE that Carey was late to the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree taping because she was on the phone with her lawyers for "five hours straight" dealing with the divorce. Her fans were left waiting for three hours in the rain.

"She would never want to upset her fans," the source said, noting that call was important as Carey and Cannon were "arguing over property and custody of the twins."

The source added that Carey was "trying to keep it together" while focusing on her children and her "five sold-out Christmas engagements in New York."

January 2016: Nick Cannon says he may never marry again after separating from Mariah Carey

Although the divorce hadn't been officially finalized, the experience was enough for Cannon to swear off marriage. In an interview for Dujour, Cannon opened up about his split from Carey and said he "highly" doubts he will ever get married again despite being a "hopeless romantic."

"I feel like marriage isn't for everyone," he said. "A friend of mine put it the funniest way. He said, 'If you heard that there was a 50/50 chance of living or dying when you jump out of a plane, you probably wouldn't go skydiving.' "

"There's like a 50/50 chance of a marriage working," he continued. "If it didn't work out for you the first time, and you still survived it, you probably shouldn't do it again."

November 2, 2016: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon finalize their divorce

In November 2016, PEOPLE confirmed that the exes had made their divorce official.

Cannon said the news was nothing new, though, and shared that he and Carey had moved on from the divorce.

"It's funny how that comes about, because we'll deal with that stuff weeks or months ago but when the media finds out about it … We've been past that stuff for quite some time," he said.

He also addressed rumors that he was the one slowing down the legal proceedings.

"None of that stuff was true," he said. "It gets silly at some point when you just see all of these headlines and it actually doesn't even affect our family for real because usually it's not accurate."

A month after the paperwork was finalized, the exes reunited to spend Thanksgiving with their kids.

January 15, 2018: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon continue to co-parent

Nearly two years after officially parting ways, Carey and Cannon showed off their co-parenting skills as they enjoyed some quality family time with the twins at the Kidspace Children's Museum in L.A.

"Celebrating today in honor of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Junior at the Kidspace Children's Museum," Carey captioned an Instagram post with the hashtags "#Dream" and "#ThankYouDrKing."

The post featured Carey, Cannon and their then-6-year-old twins enjoying some arts and crafts and posing together outside of a photo booth.

"Mariah and Nick are getting along great," a source told PEOPLE. "Nick spends most of his time with Mariah and the kids. Mariah is great with Nick around."

August 2020: Mariah Carey opens up about her marriage to Nick Cannon in her book

In 2020, Carey released her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. In it, she talked about her whirlwind marriage to Cannon and shared what initially drew her to him.

"He was a good guy. He was faith-based. He was ambitious," she wrote. "He had been in the entertainment industry for a long time, so he understood the madness. He paid attention to me."

She also revealed that their strong "desire to have children" was one of the main reasons why they delved into marriage as quickly as they did.

The New York Times bestseller wrote about why their relationship ended as well and addressed the messiness of their divorce.

"Honestly, I think Nick and I could have worked it out between the two of us, but egos and emotions got inflamed (which can translate into many billable lawyer hours, and ultimately it did)," she wrote in the book. "It was tough. We both wanted to make sure everything was cool for our family. We will always be family, and we make it work."

May 2022: Nick Cannon says marriage with Mariah Carey will be his last

In May 2022, Cannon doubled down on his previous statements about marriage and referred to his marriage to Carey as the "one of the greatest experiences" of his life.

"For that to come to an end as well, why would I go back if I couldn't make that work out right?" he said when asked if he would ever marry again on the It's Tricky with Raquel Harper podcast.

The Masked Singer host went on to say that he is "not built for marriage" and that he doesn't believe in the "traditional sense of monogamy."

"I did my best in this space, and now I feel like there's a new journey in my life," he said of his time being married. "I'm not going to backtrack and put myself in that situation again because it doesn't get better than that."

Cannon also noted that Carey is still his "best friend" whom he has "so much respect for," and admitted that the divorce was very hard on him.

"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."

July 2022: Nick Cannon says he will "never have a love" like the one he had with Mariah Carey

A few months later, Cannon again opened up about his past marriage with Carey during an appearance on The Hottee Talk Show Podcast, saying he still hopes that the couple will someday reconcile.

"I guess because I'm a true romantic, I'm a true believer in love and I allow the capsules of love to be where they lie. I'm not a timeline dude," he said. "I will never have a love like I had with Mariah."

Cannon also discussed Carey's long-term relationship with boyfriend Bryan Tanaka, noting that he doesn't want to come between the two.

"The dude is amazing with my kids and we got family gatherings and things together, so I truly respect it," he said. "But come on, that's my fantasy love. That's somebody that I will always love."

February 23, 2023: Nick Cannon says "it's beautiful" to see the connection that Mariah Carey has with their daughter Monroe

While chatting with Entertainment Tonight, Cannon gave his thoughts on the viral TikTok video where Kim Kardashian and Carey teamed up with their daughters to lip-sync to the pop star's hit song "It's a Wrap."

The Masked Singer host said he "loved" the clip and called it "epic."

"[You can] definitely see that connection with her and her mom," Cannon said. "It's beautiful, the fact that they get to have fun with each other ... families are connecting in a different way than ever before."

He added: "That song that they were doing TikTok to is a song that I produced and worked on with Mariah, so even that made it special. It was a touching moment."

March 17, 2023: Nick Cannon says Mariah Carey is a "gift from God"

During an interview with The Shade Room, Cannon gushed about Carey, calling her the "love of his life."

"I was 12 years old with Mariah Carey pictures on my wall, and that becomes my wife. And the fact that she's the coolest person I ever met ... I get a lot of this delightful disposition from her. She's just always happy, always doing for others," he said. "That woman is not human. She's a gift from God."

May 7, 2023: Nick Cannon says marriage to Mariah Carey was like if "Trump and Putin had to live in the same house"

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Cannon likened his dynamic with Carey to a scenario where "[Donald] Trump and [Vladamir] Putin had to live in the same house."

He added: "It wasn't even about her and I — we've always been good. It was more about us understanding that instead of making it about our relationship and what I want or what you want, we should just do what's best for the children."

September 21, 2023: Nick Cannon says he "wouldn't be alive" without Mariah Carey

During an appearance on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, Cannon praised Carey for taking care of him when he was diagnosed with lupus in 2012.

"She was my rock,” he said. “She went hard. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for how hard she went with the doctors, with me, my stubbornness. She was the perfect helpmate, the perfect matriarch, the perfect mom, the perfect wife in those scenarios.”

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