In a raw and deeply personal chat on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, Cardi B peeled back layers of fame and bravesty to reveal the emotional struggles she’s faced — especially during her marriage with Offset. What emerged was a portrait of a woman wrestling with heartbreak, identity, and survival.
Cardi didn’t mince words: she described sinking into “the deepest depression that I had ever had.”
“I couldn’t function. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t do nothing,” she said, recalling how the pressure and pain overtook her life.
For her, it wasn’t just about external challenges — there was an internal battle: feeling misunderstood, judged, and emotionally exhausted. She admitted she spent days crying, feeling hurt, and wrestling with questions about the future.
She also opened about how, despite all the outward success, there were long stretches when she felt utterly alone.
“I was very lonely because I chose to be lonely,” she said, pointing to a kind of self-imposed distance even in a relationship.
Much of the conversation centered on how her marriage to Offset deteriorated over time — not overnight, but gradually. Cardi describes sensing the “love dying” from both sides.
She said that even while she tried mentally to let go, the heart didn’t always keep pace:
“It took months for the heart to say, ‘You’re done.’ Instead of my mouth and my brain,” she explained.
During that time, she grappled with exhausting questions: What will life look like if this ends? Can I raise a child alone? If we aren’t friends anymore, who am I without this relationship?
Amid the pain, she says she found solace in seeking guidance. She revealed she reached out to Shakira, who had also recently navigated a public, painful breakup. Cardi leaned on that conversation when her own heart felt broken.
Cardi’s marriage to Offset was turbulent for several years, with breaks and reunions. She had earlier filed for divorce in 2020, later withdrawing it — but eventually, in July 2024, she filed again after confirming the split in late 2023.
In the podcast, she intimated that though she initiated the legal steps, the emotional acceptance took longer. Her mind acted before her heart caught up.
She emphasized: this divorce wasn’t about hatred or revenge. It was about preserving her mental health and finding peace.
She also touched on what the fallout meant for co-parenting, for her self-worth, and for how she would raise her children moving forward. (She shares three children — Kulture, Wave, and Blossom — with Offset.)
In reflection, she now frames their relationship as a chapter she learned from — not a failure.
The tone toward the end of the interview shifted from pain to possibility. Cardi spoke about reclaiming her power, leaning on faith, and building again for her children. She wants them to be “better versions” of her, to avoid her mistakes, and to live with integrity.
She also addressed the public scrutiny she’s endured, saying that the ability to protect one’s peace even amid criticism is part of evolution.
She’s learned, that healing takes patience, that love can fade slowly, and that sometimes stepping away is the bravest act.