‘Y’all Were Never Good Guys’: Nick Cannon and Ne-Yo Under Attack for Blaming Exes for Turning Them Into ‘Bad Boys’

Ne-Yo and Nick Cannon have more in common than their respective entertainment careers and a gaggle of kids — they both seem to agree that “women don’t like good guys.”

The two celebrities, along with comedian Godfrey and two other men, dished about their transformation from one-woman lovers to “bad guys” in a new episode of Cannon’s “Counsel Culture” on Prime. And fans have unleashed a barrage of criticism at the former “Good Man” singer and “Love Don’t Cost A Thing” star.

For starters, Ne-Yo discloses, “I’ve been both guys. I’ve been the nice guy and it didn’t work. I’ve been the bad boy and it didn’t work. Of the two, the bad boy always works a little more. Why is that?”

His inquiry prompted Cannon to question, “Are women attracted to toxicity?”

ne-yo nick cannon bad guys
Nick Cannon and Ne-Yo claim they were “good guys” who turned to “bad guys” after being hurt by women’s advances. (Photos by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images; Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

A woman in the audience said it was true, but only for young women. One of the roundtable guests attempted to rationalize that notion by explaining that women from households with “machismo” are more likely to subconsciously seek out men who exhibit that same behavior. “You gravitate towards what feels familiar,” Cannon said.

When Godfrey shared that a shift occurred after being picked over for bad guys in high school, the “Wild ‘N Out” star gleefully commiserated with him. “I think that happened to all of us. That might be the origin story of our toxic masculinity,” Cannon said as the two men cheered in unison and exchanged a handshake.

Sharing his own story, Cannon said he was the “poem-writing, putting flowers in the locker, [guy] and then when I saw her go with a bad boy, it was like f—k these flowers! And I was like, I will never be heartbroken again. I never wanna feel that,” he said.

The snippet was shared on Instagram by The Neighborhood Talk. In the comments, Cannon wanted to know, “What y’all think? Is it facts or we trippin?”

Commenters did not hold back on calling out “The F—kboy View” participants on their perceived lack of accountability in mishandling relationships with women.

One scathing assessment of the conversation read, “Not healing from yall trauma is the reason why yall wreak havoc on the world. One girl from high school shouldn’t set the precedent for your entire adult life…. And if it does, that simple says you are powerless over your own emotions and life period.”

Another declaration pushing back against the fellas stated, “Y’all were never ‘good guys’ stop tryna blame women.”

Furthermore, the reactions took a more personal detour when Ne-Yo and Cannon’s past relationships were mentioned. One user wrote, “I’ll never forget how Nick fumbled Mariah Carey.”

Mariah Carey and the “Drum Line” star married months after becoming enraptured in a whirlwind romance in 2008.

The “Fantasy” singer gave birth to their twins, son Moroccan Scott and daughter Monroe. They split in 2014 and ironed out details of their divorce in November 2016. Cannon has repeatedly mentioned that the legendary vocalist was a one-of-a-kind love and that if he could get her back he would do so. 

Carey aside, the comedic actor is adamant that he would never remarry, and thus far he has kept his word. “I feel like marriage isn’t for everyone,” Cannon told DuJour magazine in a 2015 interview. “There’s like a 50/50 chance of a marriage working. If it didn’t work out for you the first time, and you still survived it, you probably shouldn’t do it again.”

When Carey wrote about their romance in her 2020 memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” she recalled her ex being a “good guy” but admitted their egos prevented them from being able to work through marital turmoil.

“He’s a good guy,” Carey told ET in 2017. “It’s not that hard to make it work. Now we can laugh, and joke, and do the good parts of when we had a relationship.”

Cannon has since welcomed 10 more kids — Golden, Powerful, Zion, Zillion, Zen, Legendary, Onyx, Rise, Beautiful and Halo — with five women between 2017 and 2022.

The “Irreplaceable” songwriter’s twisted love life played out partly on television and social media with his ex-fiancée Monyetta Shaw and then his ex-wife Crystal Smith.

“When did Ne-yo change he had Monyetta. He went to Crystal and had babies outside their marriage. Why wouldn’t you stay good to someone you have vows to?” asked someone else in the comments.

Ne-Yo and Shaw were together from 2009 to 2013. They split two months shy of their wedding. They are parents to two children, daughter Madilyn and son Mason.

In a past interview with the “Haus of Aaron,” the former “Atlanta Exes” cast member claimed that her ex’s appetite for threesomes was a major contributor to their breakup. “I tried to keep it cute and spicy, but it wasn’t enough. But it is what it is,” said Shaw.

Smith and the Grammy Award-winning artist were married for eight years when she publicly outed him as a serial adulterer in June 2022 on Instagram. She alleged that he had also fathered a child outside of their union.

The now-exes are parents to three children, sons Shaffer Jr. and Roman, and daughter Isabella. When their divorce was finalized in January 2023, she was awarded $12,000 in monthly child support, $5,000 in monthly alimony for three years, as well as a one-time payment of $1.6 million.

Ne-Yo later confirmed that he had been unfaithful and that he did in fact welcome two additional children, sons Braiden and Brixton, in 2021 and 2023, respectively, with influencer Sade Jenea Bagnerise. This past April, he proudly stepped into a new chapter as a polyamory lover with two girlfriends.

Back to top