Nick Cannon: 'Mariah thinks I encourage jokes about her!'

Mariah Carey suspects Nick Cannon puts people up to joking about her on America’S Got Talent.

The former couple, who have five-year-old twins Monroe and Morrocan together, split in August 2014 and are currently in the midst of finalizing their divorce. While Mariah is busy with her new reality TV show and the last leg of her Las Vegas residency, Nick is back as host on America’s Got Talent.

And on Tuesday night (30Aug16), an aspiring stand-up star took aim at the pair during her performance with the line, “I just outgrew Barbies like Mariah did Nick.” But Nick didn't take the comment to heart by any means.

“Sometimes you do (have to give Mariah a heads up), man, and she thinks I’m the one that put people up to that stuff. I get myself in enough trouble!” he chuckled to Entertainment Tonight about whether he warns his estranged wife about her name coming up in relation to his. “But she has fun with it too. She knows that, you know, there’s no hard feelings and it’s all love so when people joke and I make jokes, it’s just all in jest.”

Aspiring comedy star Lori Mae Hernandez is just 13 but has already won over the judges and fans with her quick-witted humor and topical skits. Nick was happy to sing the teenager’s praises and insists he’s no stranger to being in the firing line.

“I’m kind of used to that type of humor on my other show, but it was all in fun man. She’s outstanding. She’s hilarious,” he said. “When you can show that you don’t take yourself so seriously, I think that’s what people love and embrace. I was like, ‘Take as many shots at me as you want.’”

Alongside his hosting, acting and music career, Nick has also found time to enroll at Howard University. Despite probably being older than a lot of the other students at 35, he insists he’ll be partaking in some extracurricular activities while also juggling his various ventures.