Nick Cannon says his dynamic with ex-wife Mariah Carey was like if 'Trump and Putin had to live in the same house'

• Nick Cannon said he and Mariah Carey were like if "Trump and Putin had to live in the same house."
• Cannon said that he and Carey now "just do what's best for the children."

Nick Cannon said his relationship with his ex-wife, singer Mariah Carey, was like if former President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin "had to live in the same house."

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published on Sunday, the television host described his relationship with Carey while they were married. He has not remarried since, but has fathered 12 children with six women, including Carey.

"Imagine if, like, Trump and Putin had to live in the same house," Cannon said to the LA Times.

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."

Cannon did not elaborate on which aspects of the Trump-Putin relationship he thought were similar to his marriage with Carey. He also did not specify which politician he thought he and Carey resembled.

Carey and Cannon married in 2008. The two separated in 2014, and their divorce was finalized in 2016. The former couple shares a pair of 12-year-twins, Monroe and Moroccan.

Other than the twins, Cannon has fathered children with former Phoenix Suns dancer Brittany Bell, DJ Abby De La Rosa, "Selling Sunset" star Bre Tiesi, model Alyssa Scott, and photographer LaNisha Cole, per the LA Times.

For his part, Cannon in July called Carey his "fantasy love" and said that their relationship was like a "fairy tale." He added at the time that he would like to get back together with her if their relationship "could be the way it was."

And in March, Cannon said he had been a longtime admirer of Carey since he was 12 and had her pictures on the wall growing up. Speaking to The Shade Room, Cannon called her "the coolest person I ever met" and "a gift from God."

This month, Cannon also said that Carey often checks in on how he is doing and has been an encouraging co-parent.

In 2017, Carey also called Cannon a "good guy."

"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," Carey told Entertainment Tonight in 2017.

Cannon and Carey did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.