Why Social Media Feels So Evil Today... | Nick Cannon | DSH #1871

Summary

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Digital Social Hour #1871

“Why Social Media Feels So Evil Today…”

Guest: Nick Cannon
Host: Sean Kelly
Release Date: March 18, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this profound and unfiltered discussion, Sean Kelly sits down with Nick Cannon, renowned entertainer, entrepreneur, and podcaster. The episode explores why social media feels so toxic, the challenges of maintaining authenticity and purpose in today’s digital world, the evolution of parenthood, and much more. Cannon shares insights from decades in entertainment, his philosophies on creativity, spirituality, and navigating modern challenges—from AI to mental health.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Nick Cannon’s Journey: Creativity Meets Business

• Early Career & Longevity

  • Cannon reflects on 30+ years in entertainment, emphasizing gradual success vs overnight fame.

    “It was just like, step by step, brick by brick ... Then you look up and you’re like, Damn, I made $100 million.” (02:16)

• Creative & Business Acumen

  • He credits his versatility to a mix of creativity and business savvy, partly learned from observing mentors and "hustlers" growing up.

    “I kind of, man, like, my gift is to wake up and be creative … but I also understand how to stay on time, on budget.” (00:42; 01:01)

• Overnight Success vs. Gradual Rise

  • Prefers steady, sustainable growth over meteoric rises that are often short-lived.

    “I’d rather just coast. Coast and be steady.” (02:46)

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Social Media’s Dark Side and Digital Frequency

• Algorithm and Rage Bait

  • Cannon discusses how social media algorithms reward controversy, driving a culture of divisiveness:

    “Everybody pontificates and … the algorithm has shown us ... create this rage bait, this idea of, like, ‘I know more than you. I’m right, you’re wrong.’” (08:32)

• Responsibility for Positive Shift

  • With audience and influence comes the responsibility to “elevate the frequency” above the noise:

    “Once you get there … are you going to change the frequency? I have enough people watching me that I can shift the tide.” (08:50–09:39)

• AI and Manufactured Debates

  • Warns AI can generate synthetic arguments solely to drive clicks, threatening real conversation:

    “AI can make people argue … you could create a fake debate and podcast, and people were like, really engaged. Humans weren’t even a part of that.” (09:27)

• Social Media and Sin

  • Cannon draws a provocative parallel between social media and the “mark of the beast,” suggesting it manifests all seven deadly sins:

    “All seven of those are wrapped up in your feed ... you’ve committed all seven deadly sins in an hour.” (31:44–32:41)

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Parenting, Spirituality, and Personal Evolution

• Frequency, Energy, and Spiritual Awareness

  • Emphasizes managing personal energy—what he calls “frequency”—and the responsibility to bring light rather than darkness into spaces:

    “It’s how you manage your own energy.” *(14:03); “Once you recognize [your frequency/energy], and humble yourself to it, then you have real control.” (14:11)

• Spiritual Upbringing

  • Grew up with faith in a higher power, but sought practical spirituality over dogma:

    “I maybe didn’t understand it all … but I knew that there was something greater than me that I had to have reverence for.” (14:45)

• Victim Mentality vs. Embracing Challenge

  • Cannon is candid about adversity but reframes struggles as growth rather than victimhood:

    “Things aren’t happening to me, you know … I’m growing from every challenge. I just love life.” (15:28)

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Purpose, Depression, and Mental Health in the Modern Age

• Depression, Dopamine, and Escapism

  • Discusses rising mental health issues among youth, connecting them to brain chemicals, diet, and digital overload:

    “It’s chemical ... What are you doing with them endorphins and dopamine? … What we ingest as, like, content.” (17:20–18:50)

• Diet and Modern Food

  • Warns about “plastic” and processed foods, tying physical and mental wellness to what we consume:

    “90% of the shit in the grocery stores ... isn’t actual food.” (19:35)

• Balance and Equanimity

  • Cannon strives for balance—using food as fuel, but also for happiness:

    “So there’s … equanimity, man. You gotta find a balance that works for you.” (21:19)

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Happiness, Wealth, and True Freedom

• Redefining Wealth

  • Links happiness to freedom and abundance, not just money:

    “To obtain freedom, you need wealth … and when you have those, you can experience happiness… not just contentment, but joy.” (21:58–22:46)

• Contagious Joy

  • True happiness radiates outward; selfishness (Scrooge McDuck syndrome) traps it:

    “If you’re truly happy, you walk in a room and you exude joy, like it’s contagious.” (22:48)

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Technology, AI, and the Future

• AI’s Potential and Social Shifts

  • Sees the role of IQ diminishing as AI advances; compassion and intuition will matter more:

    “The way now that we measure one’s IQ, it becomes an intuition quotient ... what type of person are you? How much compassion do you have?” (27:46–28:44)

  • Predicts a shift: as work is replaced by AI, purpose will focus on human interaction and ethical growth.

    “We’re not going to work anymore. So we’re going to spend time with each other. I’m going to train my children to be good people, not ... the most money.” (28:00–28:44)

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Parenting Philosophy and Evolving Generations

• Supporting Children’s Unique Paths

  • Advocates guiding kids with boundaries and empathy rather than imposing outdated expectations:

    “I want to equip them with everything ... but let them be free ... so they become the best version of themselves, not who we want them to be.” (34:42–35:36)

• Nonviolent Discipline

  • Challenges generational cycles of physical punishment, preferring consequences and communication:

    “That’s even like a slave mentality … do something wrong, I’m gonna give you lashes. That’s not how you treat humans.” (36:40)

  • Recommends removing privileges for discipline, not violence.

    “You need a moment, you need separation... that’s, in my opinion, the correct way to correct it.” (38:58)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I just want to hear people’s take. I’m curious. The purpose of their debates was to learn … as Socrates says, the wise man knows that he knows nothing at all.”
  — Nick Cannon (07:51)

• “Man, why we ... We should challenge ourselves to evolve, to elevate and just do something different. Because this shit is boring at this point.”
  — Nick Cannon (12:32)

• “Social media is the mark of the beast.”
  — Nick Cannon (31:44)

• “Spend no time arguing what a good man is. Just be one.”
  — Nick Cannon quoting Marcus Aurelius (34:39)

• “If you’re doing your work because of money, to see how rich you can get, you on some bullshit.”
  — Nick Cannon (29:03)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Early career and gradual success: 00:42–02:46
• Surrogacy, gene editing and personal ethics: 03:51–07:41
• Algorithm, rage culture, and responsibility: 08:32–09:39
• Spiritual awareness and frequency: 13:23–14:41
• Mental health, diet, and content consumption: 17:11–18:54
• Modern parenting philosophies: 34:42–38:58
• AI, future of work, & shifting values: 27:46–28:44
• “Social media is the mark of the beast” discussion: 31:44–33:40

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Conclusion

This episode stands out for its depth, authenticity, and thought-provoking exploration of timely issues—social media toxicity, digital ethics, mental health, parenting, and the prospects for humanity in an AI-driven future. Cannon’s perspective is grounded in experience, empathy, and a genuine drive to elevate the conversation—challenging both himself and listeners to evolve, seek balance, and prioritize joy, freedom, and authentic human connection.

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Transcript

[Nick Cannon]

It's very easy to get in front of these cameras and turn a mic on and say some shit people don't like, because even the idea of what IQ doesn't even matter anymore. Now the way that we measure iq, it becomes intuition quotient. I want to be the best version of myself each and every day.

[Podcast Host]

Okay, guys, out here in la, here with Nick Cannon, fellow podcaster, does a lot of business, writes children's books as well. Just found out.

[Nick Cannon]

It's funny, right? Yeah, I've dabbled in every aspect. Well, not every aspect of entertainment, but a lot of entertainment in the last 30 years.

[Podcast Host]

That's a lot, man. So you just like the. The business side of things, it sounds like.

[Nick Cannon]

I mean, it's just. I kind of, man, like, my gift is to. To wake up and be creative, you know, I mean, as an artist, it's like I'm always with it. And for whatever reason I've been business savvy to be able to survive for a few decades.

[Podcast Host]

That's a rare combo, right? Because there's a lot of creative people, but rarely do you see that they have that business acumen as well. You know what I mean?

[Nick Cannon]

I think that's what I' a conduit too, man, because I understand the artist mind and how, you know, we think and move and the passion. But I also understand, like, how to stay on time, you know, on budget, for sure. Be able to, you know, help artists, translate that to, you know, the spaces like this, for sure.

[Podcast Host]

Did you have someone helping you on the business side of things at first, or did you kind of navigate?

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah, I mean, I had a lot of mentors, but I also think I just paid attention and like, I, you know, birthed by a lot of hustlers. So it's like before you get a chance to get on the block, they make you sit on the porch and watch. And I, I had a lot of time to observe because I was in the game so early, so I watched how others move. So I was like, oh, when I get mine, I'm a. I'm gonna start my business this way. I'm gonna set up my office like this. So I just, you know, do observation.

[Podcast Host]

That makes sense. What was the first hit for you? Did you have a lot of misses at first?

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. I mean, that's so weird. Like, I don't know, it's been so long. But it's also too. Because it's such a gradual journey that you appreciate, like, nothing really hit in my life change. It was just like, oh, step by step, brick by brick.

[Podcast Host]

Interesting.

[Nick Cannon]

And then you look up and you're like, Damn, I made $100 million. Like, it's like, you don't really. I think if it probably would have happened for me that way, a lot of times when you see somebody start here, then all of a sudden they're a superstar, I probably wouldn't have been able to handle that at a young age, but it was super gradual for me.

[Podcast Host]

That's a good point. The. You've been in the game for so long, there's not a lot of people that can say that.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

They have these meteoric rises. You see it all the time. Podcasts and entertainment. And then next year, they're gone.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. And I mean, shouts out to those people who can, you know, overnight or whatever happens, that they go from, you know, obscurity to the biggest star in the world. But I'd rather just coast. Coast and be steady.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

Like, I stay out the way. I don't bother nobody. I do my stuff and then go home and play with my kids.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. You got a lot of kids. Any more on the way?

[Nick Cannon]

Not that I know of. It might be. I don't think so, though, man.

[Podcast Host]

Well done. You and Elon are racing for that number one spot.

[Nick Cannon]

I think he might have. See, he hides his kids, right? That's the difference. I'm proud of him.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

Like, he. He'll pop him like, this is number 18, and his name, XWL.

[Podcast Host]

Like, he makes him sign NDAs, right. Yeah. I know a couple. He's. He's DM'd.

[Nick Cannon]

Really?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I know how the whole thing works, actually.

[Nick Cannon]

That's crazy.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. So he'll DM the girl. I've had a few on the show, and be like, you want to have kids?

[Nick Cannon]

That's the first opening line.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I mean, if you're a girl, it's pretty tempting offer because you're. You're set for life. You know what I mean?

[Nick Cannon]

I mean, you are. But, like, that. There's. That would, like, throw me so much because, like, then you have to start questioning your own moral compass.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

Like, the richest man in the world go, hey, you want to have some kids? Like, not really, but you're basically putting finances above everything.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

Above. Just. But it is. I mean, and he just. That's. That's how he just opens it. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Literally. First or second message.

[Nick Cannon]

Wow.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

I like your DNA.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. But this girl I spoke with, she actually turned it down. I think she regrets it now because she's kind of struggling financially but wow. Yeah. Now there's a couple girls suing him

[Nick Cannon]

because of just the way he reached out to him, I guess.

[Podcast Host]

I don't know the exact details, but the money aspect wasn't enough or something. I don't know what the child support payments are looking like, because that's even.

[Nick Cannon]

Like, if you think about it, like, I mean, maybe it's definitely different, but even when you get into the spaces of, like, surrogacy. Yeah. Like, there's people who make a business out of having children.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Nick Cannon]

You know, and they. And they don't even. They don't keep it. You know what I mean?

[Podcast Host]

How much would that cost if you want to do that?

[Nick Cannon]

I've heard that surrogacy is some. I mean, I think it's somewhere like, you know, roughly around, like, 50, $60,000 for your work.

[Podcast Host]

That makes sense.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, but. And again, I've never looked into it that deeply, but I. I've actually met a few of those type of people who. Yeah. Who've had children for others, and I think that's. That's what they get paid at the end. Like, even if you say 75k for nine months, that's a lot of work.

[Podcast Host]

I don't know if it's worth it, 100 grand.

[Nick Cannon]

I think the emotional attachment would be crazy, like, to be able to be like, damn, I just literally created life inside of me for nine months, and I just got to give it away, and I can't.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I don't know about that, because they say you form a bond with a kid while you're pregnant, and then there's.

[Nick Cannon]

I mean, I don't even know what this is called. I'd have to do the research if somebody could, because there's a difference between, like, surrogacy that holds, you know, someone else's egg and sperm, and so you don't really have an attachment. But then there's a kind where it's like, it could be that person's, you know, egg as well. So I think that's. That's something beyond surrogacy.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Now there's gene editing.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. Yeah. Or even, like, if it's like, I. How much is my actual egg worth? Because, you know, there's also complications where women can't even produce eggs or don't have any left and that stuff.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. You come in.

[Nick Cannon]

That's almost like that's a step closer to adoption, which you can't sell, you know, in that space.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I've heard of that woman selling their eggs, though.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Podcast Host]

That's Nazi. Yeah. Crazy times, crazy future, man. Because there's gene editing that's. You can choose your.

[Nick Cannon]

Choose the eye color, height, athleticism, iq. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

What do you think of that?

[Nick Cannon]

I mean, that's. We're definitely in the future. It's definitely. I don't know if science fiction movies is about.

[Podcast Host]

I think it should just come out as is, personally. Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

I mean, but if you can have the opportunity to say, hey, I would like my. My child to be, you know, six foot three, and I. Why not?

[Podcast Host]

It's tempting. It's tempting.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. Opposed. Or even if you get, you know, go medical, I don't want them to have this condition.

[Podcast Host]

That one I could see for sure.

[Nick Cannon]

You know what I mean? Like, and you have that opportunity early enough. Why wouldn't you?

[Podcast Host]

I could see that one. My dad, unfortunately lost a kid on birth, so like, I could see the use case for that.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. So, I mean, again, I. I don't judge people. I don't understand everybody's walk. It's not meant for me to understand anybody's walk, so I kind of accept it for what it is. I think when you start, like, mismanaging, you know, science and playing God.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

There's definitely. Probably gonna be some repercussions to that, but, you know, there's repercussions to everything.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Yeah. I love your. Your approach. You know, you've had some wild people on your show, but you kind of just let them speak.

[Nick Cannon]

I let them talk, man. Like, I'm really. I. Like, I come from that space. Like, who the fuck am I to judge? Like, I just want to hear people's take. I'm curious. I think the greatest philosophers literally didn't sit around and act like they knew everything. The purpose of their debates was to learn. And it's like, all right, I want to hear your aspect on whatever it is we're discussing. But, you know, as Socrates says, man, you know, the wise man knows that he knows nothing at all. So it's like, I just sit back and be like, shit, I ain't know that.

[Podcast Host]

That's a rare mindset these days. I feel like we're in a society of constant judgment.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah, man, it's scary. Cause everybody, like, everybody got a podcast. Everybody pontificates and everybody. I think the algorithm has shown us the more that we could create this rage bait, this idea of, like, I know more than you. I'm right, you're wrong.

[Podcast Host]

Yep.

[Nick Cannon]

The views go up. But, I mean, that's what makes guys like you special, though. Like, it's. You've reached a certain point in a certain level that you don't have to do that. And then even it's like, then there's a bigger calling on your life and purpose, because now you have to really say, all right, well, I'm going to change the frequency. I'm going to elevate the frequency, because everybody doesn't have the numbers that you have. Everybody doesn't have the audience that you have. But once you get there, what, are you actually going to do it? Are you going to do it? Because now it's not even cool to do what everybody else is doing.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

Like, it's like you said, AI can make people argue. You know what I mean? Like, you. You can. You could create a fake debate and podcast, and people were, like, really engaged. It was not even. Humans weren't even a part of that.

[Podcast Host]

Yep.

[Nick Cannon]

You know, I mean, they're like, they. Somebody typed in some stuff like, how am I going to evoke an argument and get views? And so now when you get actual real human beings that can sit back and say, all right, man, let me elevate the conversation. I have a responsibility to make a shift, because I have enough people watching me that I can shift the tide. And I think it's gonna take the right amount of people, the right amount of individuals. Like, man, I'm tired of just yelling all the time. I'm tired of arguing. I'm tired. You can still have the same conversations, but if it's just like, everything is about this group of people hates this group of people, or this group of people were the original ones to do this to this group of people. It's like, how many times can we have that conversation? Like, fuck.

[Podcast Host]

That's all I see.

[Nick Cannon]

I'm tired of it. It's like your algorithm. You just be wanting to throw your phone. Cause it's like I want to see or hear something different and unique. And it's like somebody like myself who've been doing it for so long, and a lot of it was really just for education purposes and fun. It's like, man, it's. Everybody's doing it now, so it's not even. It's not fun anymore. And then now it's just a bunch of noise. It's not even like, I'm not learning anything. I'm just hearing a bunch of people repeat the same shit 100%.

[Podcast Host]

The algorithm rewards controversy and conflict, right? So it's a tricky. It's a tricky space Navigate.

[Nick Cannon]

It's even like. Then you gotta question, why is that? You know what I mean? Like, is that a reflection on. Because that's what we like, or is that what's being fed to us?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, it's interesting, man. Cause in my comments, in my DMs, you know, I'll get hate here and there, but just out and about in the real world, that should never happen. So it's like, is this an artificial world that's being created?

[Nick Cannon]

And it's like, I don't. I don't. People. Are people really that angry? And I think. I think, you know, two things can be true. Like, yes, people are really that angry. And. But it's easy. I think it's easy to be at a low frequency. It's easy to scroll. It's easy to like. But to me specifically, as a comedian, it's much more fun to laugh than it is to be mad or grumpy or angry. But it's harder to make people laugh. I could piss you off very easy. I could call you a name, a slur, throw some shit at you, and it's gonna piss you off. But to be like, yo, how am I gonna make shot happy? How am I gonna make him laugh? I'm gonna make him roll over and die. Like, that's. That's a skill. Yeah, so it's very easy to get in front of these cameras and turn a mic on and say some shit people don't like. Yeah, you know, crazy. Yeah, like. But how do you say some shit people do? Like?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, you could do that in one word these days.

[Nick Cannon]

Exactly.

[Podcast Host]

You know what I mean?

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah, so it's like, yeah, okay, do it.

[Podcast Host]

I can't. I'll get canceled. You guys know what word I'm talking about? There's a couple.

[Nick Cannon]

I think there's more than one. Yeah, there's a few. There's a few that can get you turned off. But to say all of that, it's. Man, why we. We should challenge ourselves, man. We should challenge ourselves to. To evolve, to elevate and just do something different. Because this shit is boring at this point. And then it's just like, when are you gonna hit that Mar? Like, man, we've said all the evil shit. Like, we've. We've revealed all the conspiracies. Yeah, we. Everybody knows who the devil is. Like, now what? Yeah, like, ain't new. Like, the devil been around for a very long time.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

Like, it's not like we're discovering shit that, you know is new. There's been books and scrolls and all this stuff written for ages. But how are you going to live your life?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

You've mentioned in the midst of it,

[Podcast Host]

you mentioned frequency a few times and I love that.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, that's like. And that's even the thing too. Like, man, I've. I've been on that vibe for years. But like. And it's great to see people catch up, but now that it's become one of them buzzwords, raise your frequency, bro. It's like. But I mean, it truly is what you call it, frequency, energy, you know, tantra, prana, all of the same. The chi, like, all of that stuff is real. And it's like whether you even consider it, like an anointing over your life. You. You understand when there's an individual who walks in a room, who got a light.

[Podcast Host]

Yep.

[Nick Cannon]

And people are just drawn to you, could feel it. Yeah, yeah. And same thing with darkness too. You get like, oh, yeah, your heart

[Podcast Host]

will drop dark instantly.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah, yeah. So it's like you just. It's how you manage your own energy.

[Podcast Host]

I think you having that in your back pocket has helped you a lot and navigate.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah, probably. Because, I mean, especially then once you recognize and realize that you have it and you know, it's something where, where you. Whether you identify your source as God, whether you what energy, whatever you call it, once you recognize it and then humble yourself to it, then that becomes. When you have real control and you know, you're the. You're. You're in control of your destiny and you have power over whatever happens to you.

[Podcast Host]

Did you feel like you had that spiritual awareness, like, innately, or did you feel like there was a specific.

[Nick Cannon]

I grew up in church, man, so I knew there was always a God. I knew there was always a presence. I knew there was always a higher power that had ordained my existence. You know what I mean? I maybe didn't understand it all and wasn't really a huge fan of religion and all that stuff, but I knew that there was something greater than me that I had to have reverence for. And the more that I had reverence, the better things were on life and outlook. And knowing that I just had this appreciation for life.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[Nick Cannon]

You know what I mean? Even that sense of like. And you know, because when I grew up, shit was tough, but it wasn't like I had a. At a very early age, knew, like, things aren't happening to me, you know, I mean, like, they're actually. This is. I'm learning from this. It's like, so things. I'm growing from every challenge. Like, so, like, this is for me to make me stronger. And I don't know if I got that from like my dad or just. But I had that innately. Wow. Like, I just love life.

[Podcast Host]

That's interesting. Yeah. I did not have that growing up. I had a victim mentality growing up.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah, I never, I never had that really. And I never, like, I liked it. Challenges and I still do to this day. Like, I like when shit gets interesting. You know what I mean?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, that's interesting.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. I was never a kid that picked up on stuff that was like, I've definitely been depressed, you know, and went through my cycles and a lot of that stuff probably happened later in life because of events and grief and all of that type of stuff. But it was never the. It was never woe is me. I never wanted anybody to feel sorry for me. I was like, we got this. Like, I love a challenge. Like my therapist calls me a machete jugger. Like they like throw another one of them motherfuckers in. Watch this. Anytime somebody says I can't do something, like, I want to prove that can't. Yeah, exactly.

[Podcast Host]

I feel like that's the entrepreneur mindset, right?

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. Yeah. And it totally is. I mean, that's the thing that drives you. That's where depression seeks in is when you like, no longer driven, where you're like, you don't have a challenge. Like, you're like, fuck, I'm no purpose.

[Podcast Host]

Right?

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. I'm gonna just sit here like I need something to do.

[Podcast Host]

There were stats on depression and mental health. Crazy these days. I think one out of four kids

[Nick Cannon]

now we all got it. It's chemical, you know what I mean? It's like, what are you doing with them endorphins that dopamine? And especially the shit that we're putting in our bodies now. You're gonna throw your. You're gonna have a chemical imbalance at some point. It's. How do you manage it? It's removing and unplugging yourself from all of this shit and saying, let me go hit reset, let me go refresh. Because we all have something that we could be depressed about. We all have something that will take us to a whole nother place and be like, yo, we gotta bring him back. Because whether. And then you add substances on top of that, whether you're attempting to self medicate or escape, like you're going to go down a rabbit hole. And if you don't know how to get back it's that. That's where mental health, you know, and all that stuff. Challenge.

[Podcast Host]

I had to quit cannabis, bro.

[Nick Cannon]

Exactly.

[Podcast Host]

It was giving me panic attacks.

[Nick Cannon]

And that's even in that sense, too. Because you can get stuck in a mundane existence, or to your point, it can make. It can give you so much anxiety because it's tapping. It's a. It's just a chemical imbalance that we. The brain is just, you know, one big giant ball of energy, and it's gonna. Your neuroplasticity is gonna get thrown off at some point.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

Sometimes neurons gonna fire at a different pace. And it's because of the shit that we ingest. Whether that's physically ingest or whether that's what we ingest as, like, content.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I had to change my whole diet up, man. Yeah, that's important.

[Nick Cannon]

That's. That's where it starts, man. Like they always say, like, you know, it's unfortunate, but each and every day, 75% of the shit we put in our body is plastic. If you think about that, like, you only have 25% of actual nutrients and true fuel. But we put. Whether it's. You don't even know that you're putting in plastic in your body, whether it's lotions, whether the things. Like all of these things are receptors and pores, man. Like, the shit we sit on, the shit we hold, and then, like I said, don't even. Like, I think it was 90% of the shit in the grocery stores. One wasn't there a hundred years ago, and two isn't actual food.

[Podcast Host]

Wow. That's actually crazy.

[Nick Cannon]

Like, when you think about this shit. Cause it's all plastic. It's all made from some type of corn, sugar, starch, something that.

[Podcast Host]

Seed oils.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. We shape into food. And if you think about what the body actually needs, you know, we only really need to eat once a day if it's actual real nutrients.

[Podcast Host]

Wow, so you only eat once a day.

[Nick Cannon]

No, I'm a victim to all of this stuff as well. Like, I definitely. But there have been times where that was. You know, that was my practice. And even my regimen now is pretty close to that. But I also know because, you know, I have lupus and stuff. So my body tells me when I got too much bullshit in my body, like, it'll alert me immediately. And it's like, all right, I gotta stop fucking with the processed stuff. Or, you know, I gotta up my alkalinity. I gotta decrease the. Like, I just. I just know at this point. So to keep it and especially even knowing what if I got something coming up or if I know it's gonna be strenuous, I'm like, all right, I gotta make sure my diet is right.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Especially with your lifestyle. You're traveling a lot. That must be tough.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah, yeah. So all of that really comes from a place of just. You just gotta know what you put in your body. Like there's. That's also too. Because I've tried to be the perfect guy and eat once a day or you know, the plant based lifestyle, all of that stuff. And then that shit'll make you depressed. And you fuck around, sitting around like, man, I'm eating all these fucking kale burgers and shit. Like, you gotta enjoy life. So there's. It's equanimity, man. You gotta find a balance that works for you.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

And I just, I eat to live, you know, I use food as fuel, but I also want to be happy. So if I want a fucking Starbucks, I'm gonna get a Starbucks. If I want a burger, I'm gonna eat a burger. But I also know, like, all right, I ate that burger, I gotta make sure I, you know, pay for it in the gym or I gotta cleanse myself in this manner. I got to make sure, you know, I'm taking all my vitamins and supplements and. Because you can get stuck in some shit and then you look around and you know you're in the hospital.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. So happiness is important to you.

[Nick Cannon]

Number one, really. Freedom and happiness.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Nick Cannon]

Wow. I mean, and they go together. When you, when you think about it, I mean, along with wealth, you know what I mean? When you think about, to obtain freedom, you need wealth. And then once you have those, you can experience happiness in that sense of not just contentment, but joy in that to where you can spread it. I think people think happiness is a soul thing where they're like, it's mine, I'm happy. But if you're truly happy, you walk in a room and you exude joy, like it's contagious. But that takes a lifestyle that produces the other two. You live your life free. And you. And when I say wealth, it's not even in a monetary sense.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, that was my next question.

[Nick Cannon]

It's a abundant sense. You know, the Bible says, you know, you came to have give life and give it in an abundant manner. Like it has to be able to spread. So that's, to me, that's how I see envision it all. And you know, having had the money and all that stuff, it's like, if you. If you on your Scrooge McDuck shit and you keeping it to yourself, you're not happy 100%.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. It's more than just money, because you and I both know a lot of financially successful people that are so not happy.

[Nick Cannon]

Ain't that. Didn't Elon just say that? Yeah. Whoever said that, you know, money can make you happy was spot on.

[Podcast Host]

And that's the richest man in the world saying that.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. So I was like. And we could see that motherfucker not happy. He walk around looking like Scrooge McDuck.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

So.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. And you go to tribes in certain parts of the world, and those guys are happier than people over here.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. And. Or even, like, you see our president like that, actually, he do seem kind of happy. That dude seems happy.

[Podcast Host]

Trump's in his own world, but that's

[Nick Cannon]

the freedom he lives by. But you can also see just like the curmudgeon, just like the up all night posting and shit like that. Like, where your wife at? Like, go fuck on your wife. It's like, it's that type of stuff to, like, how are you that obsessed with, you know? Like, you in your 80s, dog? Like, enjoy this shit. Ride this shit out. That's the last thing I be wanting to do if I was in my 80s is be worrying about what the fuck Americans is doing. Like, I wouldn't even be in America in my 80s. Like, I'd be, like, on an island somewhere, like, enjoying papaya and mangoes and shit. Like, there's just so much to, like, enjoy in life. But some people get caught up in that narcissistic mindset and, like, wanting to own everything and wanting to make more money than the other person. Like, I don't. I don't know what type of energy that is. I think that's that micro penis interview or some shit. Like, I don't understand it. Like, I don't. I don't understand why people want everything and want to control it in its mind. Like, that shit is crazy to me.

[Podcast Host]

The more I look into it, the more I think it stems from childhood trauma.

[Nick Cannon]

Absolutely. I mean, but even then, like, you see, even on the playground where you're like, there's a. Where it's like, man, why is that little kid so angry? You know what I mean? What's happened to him? To where he can't enjoy being a child as much as the other kids are? And then, you know, you. You find out it's a lot of stuff going on, dude. I just.

[Podcast Host]

This is crazy. But like my 10 year high school reunion was a year and the kid that used to bully me like every day, right. I just found out he's a heroin addict. And it got me thinking like he was probably getting who knows what was happening at his house.

[Nick Cannon]

Right. And even for him to be able to see that, you know what I mean? And that's why you got to have empathy for people, man. You got to give people grace because we don't know what other people are going through. Yeah. And I mean like you said, the world a fucked up place, but you know, hopefully that we're going to experience dystopia before we get to utopia.

[Podcast Host]

You're that optimistic?

[Nick Cannon]

I think you have it kind of have to be. I mean I going to take over anyway.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. So it's like there's no stopping AI at this point.

[Nick Cannon]

And they're going to get it right.

[Podcast Host]

You think so?

[Nick Cannon]

Why wouldn't they? The only, the only fucked up part about the experience is us. Like we're the ones. Like one they're taking off of how we've moved as a people, as humanity throughout the years. And you're praying and hoping that they focus on the good side of humanity opposed to the bad side of humanity. And you know, it's our goal. But right now all the billionaires are control of AI, so that don't go well because you got all these greedy people. But once you get to like AGI and all of that stuff and they're making the decisions for us, I would hope that, you know, they're gonna make the right decisions and let us exist like humans. Like we don't be fucking with ants. We don't be like, we let the ants be the ants. Like lest they come in outer space and we might get the raid out and shit like that. But if they where they at, we let the ants be the ants. Like we all, we let the bees be the bees. So I'm hoping I kind of let the humans be the humans. They set us up. We don't need a government no more. We don't need freaking, you know, attorneys and all of that shit. You know, medical will be free, food will be free, education. We don't need that no more. Because even the idea of what IQ doesn't even matter anymore. Like if the AI in my pocket has a 400 IQ gives a. If mine is 100 or 200.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

Like we're all right. Even the AI in my pocket is. And that I said 400, it'll probably gonna be like 10,000.

[Podcast Host]

It'll be way higher than 400.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. So it's like, wow, I'll level the

[Podcast Host]

playing field for everyone, though.

[Nick Cannon]

If you got a 10,000 and 100 IQ or 10,000 and 160, who gives a shit? It's still 10,000. So the way now, the way that we measure one's iq, it becomes an intuition quotient. It becomes, what are you going to do with it? What type of person are you? How much compassion do you have? Because we're not going to work anymore. So we're going to spend time with each other. We're going to spend time as human beings. I'm going to train my children to be good people, not to go and make the most money and be the savviest. It's like, yo. I mean, at the end of the day, Dr. King said it best. When it's all said and done, they're gonna ask what kind of car you drive, how big your house was gonna say, what did you do for others?

[Podcast Host]

100%. That is an interesting future prediction. I find a lot of my purpose in my work, so I'm having trouble picturing it, but I could see it.

[Nick Cannon]

But it's fine to have purpose in your work if your work is your passion.

[Podcast Host]

It is.

[Nick Cannon]

If you're doing your work because of money, to see how rich you can get, you want some bullshit. But if it's.

[Podcast Host]

That can't be the main part.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. But if you're doing it because you love it and you like interacting with people, you like having great conversations, inspiring, that's amazing. But if you're not doing it, you're like. And, you know, we've all been placed in situations because that's. That's truly that selling your soul shit.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

Because it was like, if you do anything for money, every. If you got a price. You know what I mean? Like, you did. Motherfucker gonna offer it to you, and then you're gonna. It's gonna be like, damn, I lost all my integrity. Based off of that.

[Podcast Host]

I'm sure there was a few meetings that you went to where that was the situation. Right. And you had to walk away from it.

[Nick Cannon]

It's not like the bugging.

[Podcast Host]

It's not like the movies.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. It's not like, what's that? The Devil at the crossroads is like, sign here. It's. It's gradual. You know what I mean? They. They offer you, you know, substances.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

You get. You get hooked on some shit you didn't want to get hooked on. Then they find out the things you love and they bombard you with it. And then whatever it is, if you love, if they find your love language, if they know acts of service and gifts and all that, then they start giving you that shit. If they know, oh, if he feed his ego, if it's women, if it's whatever it is, you start getting an abundant amount of that and then that becomes your drive, you know? Like I usually say, where the bitches, you know what I mean? Like if you focused on that, your eyes off the prize, you know what I mean? And that's in anything, like I said, too much of anything is just like not enough. Like it's gonna kill you. So in that sense, man, we all gotta be careful. And it's not just the successful people, it's everybody. Like to me, the way I see it, man, like if, you know, we, we get caught up in and I see a lot of your content like and I appreciate it. But you have a lot of people on here talking about, you know, the conspiracies, you know who, whether, whether the small minded concepts of like the Illuminati, which is Roman Catholicism. It's not even, it doesn't go beyond that. Yeah but. Or even the, you know, whatever it is, who. Blaming a certain group of people of ruling the world and all that stuff. That stuff is silly, man. Like I'm a true believer in spiritual warfare. We will never understand the depths of what it takes to control one's soul. So I honestly believe if you're on this platform right now, if you're scrolling, you sold your soul. Social media is the mark of the beast.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[Nick Cannon]

If you want to go that deep and we're all a part of it because it's all about the seven deadly sins if you get to that point. Right. And if you think about it, whether it's every. All seven of those are wrapped up in your feed, whether it's pride, lust, wrath, shit that makes you mad, envy. We're sitting there looking at what somebody else got gluttony. We're taking too much of it.

[Podcast Host]

Mukbang videos.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. Like it even is working. Cancer. I look at the times on my fucking screen, I'm like, fuck, I was on there for how long? Like where my kids at?

[Podcast Host]

Like like eight hours a day.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. Like when you see them seven, eight, nine. You're like, you're on that. Like how is that even possible? And then greed. We all want to make money. Sloth. We sitting there just scrolling like the most fucking. Like you, you've committed all seven deadly sins in an hour.

[Podcast Host]

Like, damn, I never thought of it that way.

[Nick Cannon]

That's crazy. So. But let's all accept it. We're all equal. How do we become better? How do we elevate? How do we use these devices? How do we use this to get out of the mud? And that's because that's the other end of it too. It's not a death sentence to. Once you're on it now the devil's got a hold of you, you can't ever let go. That's the beauty of God. That's the beauty of the journey. Be like, we started this way, and because of what we believe, we can elevate. And I think that's where people get lost in it. They're too busy damning people to hell. They're too many people. Or too busy casting others out, saying, you're wrong and I'm right. Opposed to we're all wrong. Nobody figured it out. So how do we fucking come together and elevate or at least help one another get out of the mud?

[Podcast Host]

Wow, that's deep, man. I mean, there's levels to this game.

[Nick Cannon]

It is.

[Podcast Host]

Holy crap. So you don't think Mic drop. I don't think we'll ever know the true game being played.

[Nick Cannon]

It's. It's. Why would you want to figure it out? Okay, once you figure it out, then what? Once you found the puppet master and you're facing the final boss.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

Are you gonna become now, are you an archangel? Like, what the fuck? Like, just again, it gets to it's ego. Ooh. I know more than you. It's not about that. It's about my current experience. How can I be the best individual? And it's like, you know, I study stoicism so much, and it's like, you're only in control of who you are. Anything else that. Leave that shit outside. Like, I want to be the best version of myself each and every day. And it's. You know, it's even like Marcus Aurelius said it best. It's like, spend no time arguing what a good man is. Just be one.

[Podcast Host]

Right. So you don't try to control your kids.

[Nick Cannon]

I just try to. I just want them to be happy. I just want to. I want to equip them with everything, whether it's information, whether it's ability. And I think as parents, our job is to harness them in a way. Create boundaries, create parameters, to build things like respect, compassion. But let them be free in a way so that they become the Best version of themselves, not who we want them to be. And I think again we get caught up in that shit. Oh yeah, you gotta go to this school, you gotta be this, you gotta do this. And then now you've stifled this individual who could have been this. But you took em this way because of your vision. Opposed to like, let me give them everything I got and watch them take it. Because they're going to be smarter than you, they're gonna be savvier than you. Just that's, that's called evolution.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Nick Cannon]

But if you put all your bullshit onto them, then now what have we done?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. A lot of parents project, right?

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. And it's like, and then, and then they mad at the kids. Yeah. Like if you got a badass kid, that's your fucking fault.

[Podcast Host]

That's what happened to me, man.

[Nick Cannon]

Like you did that. Yeah. Like, and now you mad at yourself because you gotta fuck up as a kid because you didn't do what you were supposed to do as a parent. So again, I think that cycle is starting to end because I think people are starting to have these level of conversations and you know, I do see people having a softer approach. And when I say soft, I don't mean like you gotta be easy on em. But it's done with love, it's done with empathy. Where, you know, our parents were too busy chasing the bag.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

Our parents were too busy trying to put a roof over here. And we appreciate it, but we've kind of figured that out now. Let's figure out how to love one another, how to give them everything that they need outside of finances.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I definitely think it's evolving because like our parents generation, there was physical abuse. I would say for my generation it was more verbal.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

There wasn't as much hands being thrown. And now it's more like a new era, right?

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah. Like now people. I love the way people parent now, like, and not, you know, not just myself, but I love how they, they communicate with their kids and you know, they let them express themselves, still apply the boundaries and it's even a thing because I grew up getting ass whoopings and all that shit. And I understand that, you know, but when you realize like, damn, that's even like a slave mentality that you do something wrong, I'm give you lashes and like that's not how you treat humans. Like that's not how you treat anybody. But we didn't take the time to understand one, how is this child feeling? Why are they behaving in the way that they are. And we're all frustrated. The kid's frustrated, you're frustrated. Let's all take a deep breath. I'm the elder. How can I communicate with this child to understand, okay, what are you feeling? Because what you did was not correct, but what made you want to do that? And then once they're intelligent enough to put it all together and there's still authority there, if you keep fucking up, I'm going to take something away from you. Like you're going to lose freedoms, because that's what happens in life. Like, the greatest punishment in in time was exile. That's. That's how prisons and penitentiaries were created. They would take someone from the tribe or the village, and if you a fuck up, they would put you somewhere where you could not come back. And whatever happened to you, the lions are going to eat your ass or some shit like that. They left it up to you. So even in that sense of removing things for even in a parent, you know, child scenario, that's, in my opinion, the correct way to correct it. You need a moment, you need separation. And it's not the timeout mentality. It's more like, all right, you keep disobeying me, looking out for you through love, then I have to show you that there are consequences. But I don't have to get physical with you. You're already intimidated by me. I'm already bigger than you. I can already pick you up and move you wherever I need to. So I'm not gonna do that. I'm gonna do it to where you actually learn. And whatever trigger goes off when that bad thing comes up again, you're like, yeah, I don't want to have to go through that again.

[Podcast Host]

Bars. Thanks for that advice, man. I just got married one of kids

[Nick Cannon]

soon, so there it is. Don't hit your kids. Put them in martial arts, though, so they do know what a punch feels like. You don't want to raise no on that.

[Podcast Host]

This is fun, man. What. What are you working on next? Where can people find you and all that?

[Nick Cannon]

So much, man. How about I'm up your mic and breaking. Oh, you a real mic drop. We come here and break. Um, Masked singer is currently on, you know, still number one show on TV show. Celebrities sing in Halloween costumes.

[Podcast Host]

Great show.

[Nick Cannon]

Nice. A lot of fun. So that's. We're in the middle of that season, wilding out.

[Podcast Host]

You coming to Vegas, right? Yeah, I'm a stop in the next one.

[Nick Cannon]

You should be on the show.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, I would suck, but I'll try.

[Nick Cannon]

No, but that's the thing. Like, I'm taking. So I don't want to, you know, reveal too much, but we're doing it in a different way.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, yeah.

[Nick Cannon]

And we've always been going city to city, but now I'm bringing my friends out.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Nick Cannon]

And we fucking around.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, I'm in. Let's do it.

[Nick Cannon]

And it's like, before such a. Like, you know, we had 20 years of, like, you got to be a great battle rapper. You got to be a great comedian. Now it's like, everybody, let's go.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, count me in for that, man.

[Nick Cannon]

There it is.

[Podcast Host]

All right, man. Thanks for coming on.

[Nick Cannon]

No doubt.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. This was awesome. That was a great episode, these guys.

[Nick Cannon]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Thanks for watching all the way to the end, guys. Means a lot. Please click here if you want to watch the next episode and please subscribe to the show. It helps us get more guests and helps grow the brand.