Cam Newton is getting brutally honest about why he still hasn’t walked down the aisle—and according to him, it has little to do with avoiding commitment and everything to do with what marriage has become.
While appearing on The NXT Chapter podcast with Bishop T.D. Jakes, Newton said modern expectations and outside influences fundamentally altered how he views marriage.
“There’s a lot of worldly things that crept into it,” Newton said, explaining that the version of marriage he grew up admiring no longer lines up with what he sees today.
Newton, who was raised in the church, said his early understanding of marriage was shaped by faith and tradition. As a child, he only saw the polished surface.
“Sister so-and-so and brother so-and-so,” he recalled, noting that kids were shielded from conflict and struggle. As he got older, reality set in. “You start to realize, ‘Y’all values of marriage ain’t the same that I was used to.’”
Despite frequent assumptions, Newton stressed that he isn’t anti-marriage. “It’s not that I have an issue with marriage,” he said plainly. “My desire for marriage is not greater than my fear of divorce.” That fear, he explained, comes from watching relationships unravel when pressure, money, and ego are involved.
Newton also questioned the motivations behind his relationships at this stage of life. “Would it have been easier to find companionship without money?” he asked, adding that fame and wealth make it difficult to trust intent. “You won’t find out until it’s too late.”
When the topic turned to vows, Newton zeroed in on one line in particular. “The most impactful vow for me is ‘for better or for worse,’” he said. “I want to know without a shadow of a doubt—how is that evidenced?”
According to Newton, too many people rush into marriage without fully understanding what they’re committing to when things fall apart.
The former NFL MVP didn’t dodge responsibility for his past, either. He admitted that emotional immaturity and avoidance damaged earlier relationships. “I knew right from wrong. I just didn’t always do right,” he said, acknowledging that he often masked hurt instead of addressing it head-on.
As of early 2026, Newton is not married. He shares children with Kia Proctor and has been publicly linked to Jasmin Brown, but he says he’s still on a personal journey. “I don’t want a previous cut to bleed on somebody else,” Newton explained.