Why Did Kim Kardashian West and Nick Cannon Break Up?
As one of the most famous women in the world, Kim Kardashian West’s love life has always been the subject of much fascination. But even before she reached the status she has now, she had been dating high profile people — such as multihyphenate Nick Cannon. Ahead, get a closer look at their relationship and the reason they eventually decided to call it quits.
A quick timeline of Kim Kardashian West and Nick Cannon’s relationship
Kardashian West began dating Cannon following her split from Ray J, whom she dated from 2003 to 2006.
It is unclear how or when they met, but The Mirror reports that they began dating in September 2006, when Kardashian West was still working as Paris Hilton’s assistant and Cannon was growing as a television star with his new show Wild ‘N Out.
Their relationship continued for a few months before they reportedly broke up in January of 2007, just before Kardashian West shot to global fame with her family’s show Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
Why Kim Kardashian West and Nick Cannon broke up
Five years after their split, Cannon did a rare interview with Howard Stern where he opened up about their relationship. In regards to the reason they split, the Drumline actor said he broke up with Kardashian West after she allegedly lied about the existence of her 2003 sex tape with Ray J.
“This was my issue. We talked about this tape…And she told me there was no tape. If she might have been honest with me I might have tried to hold her down and be like ‘That was before me’ because she is a great girl. She’s actually one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. But the fact that she lied and told me that there was no tape? And I still think she might have even had a part to play with [its release],” he said (via The Huffington Post).
The tape came out in 2007 after she and Cannon split. Kardashian West told Extra that February that she considered it her and Ray J’s “personal business” and that she hoped it would not be released. But unfortunately, Vivid Entertainment put it out after buying it for $1 million, per The Mirror.
Later, Kardashian West won a settlement over its distribution for an estimated $5 million and went on to make her debut on her family’s show later in 2007.
Kim Kardashian West has said she regrets the tape
It doesn’t appear that Kardashian West has ever acknowledged his comments (though she previously denied any involvement in the release of the sex tape). But if his account is true, perhaps she was simply too embarrassed to own up to such a thing.
In the years since it’s release, Kardashian West has repeatedly expressed remorse about shooting the video. She previously admitted that she was high on ecstasy when they filmed it and said in 2015 that she considers it her one regret in life.
But at the same time, she added: “I just try to move on and put it in the past because I think that everyone in life does things they’re not proud of but you can’t sit and dwell on them forever.”
Fortunately, she went on to find both success and love with Kanye West, who has fully embraced her past. They married in 2014 following a two-year relationship and now share four children: North, 7, Saint, 5, Chicago, 2, and Psalm, 1.
Cannon, meanwhile, married and divorced Mariah Carey, with whom he shares 9-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan. He is also dad to a 3-year-old son named Golden from his relationship with model Brittany Bell, who is believed to be carrying their second child at the time of this writing.
