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Jay Shetty Podcast

(Exclusive) Nicky Jam Opens Up For The First Time: Fame & Wealth Made Me Relapse!

Latin Grammy-winning artist @NickyJamTV opens up like never before, revealing the untold stories behind his rise to global stardom.

Nicky JamguestJay Shettyhost

Sep 2, 20241h 20mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Nicky Jam’s mission: being honest, not being boxed in as a “role model”
Nicky Jam opens by explaining that he’s sharing things he hasn’t talked about publicly before. He pushes back on being labeled a role model, emphasizing he’s human and still dealing with real struggles.
- •Nicky Jam says he’s never opened up like this on other shows
- •He doesn’t want to be boxed into a “role model” identity
- •He frames his story as human, imperfect, and ongoing
Freestyling while packing groceries: the moment he was discovered
Nicky Jam describes his earliest defining memory: packing groceries as a kid while freestyling for customers. He explains how trying to support his family and making people laugh through music became part of who he is.
- •He packed groceries at a supermarket as a kid and freestyled while working
- •He used what he earned to help provide items for his family
- •He describes this as the “Nicky” he remembers even during dark times
- •The supermarket manager let him work even though it was illegal due to his age
First record deal at 12: signing without understanding, and learning from a “wack” album
He recounts how a customer connected him to a producer and he quickly ended up with a contract at home. Nicky Jam says the album didn’t sell, but it still helped DJs recognize him and opened doors through mixtapes.
- •A woman took him to her husband (a producer) after hearing him freestyle
- •He pressured his dad to sign the contract even though he didn’t understand it
- •He says the album was bad and didn’t sell, but it built name recognition
- •Mixtapes became the path where he grew in Puerto Rico’s scene
Growing up around prostitution and trauma: realizing the past doesn’t disappear
Nicky Jam talks about seeing his mom working on the street and how, as a child, it felt normal because it was all he knew. He explains that even with success, trauma returns, affecting his mental health and how people judge relapse or setbacks.
- •He describes his neighborhood environment and seeing his mom in painful situations
- •He says a child can normalize trauma when it’s all they’ve seen
- •He compares effects of growing up in violence to PTSD and says people don’t recognize it
- •He pushes back against the idea that telling your story makes the trauma “done”
The Billy story: discovering what “normal care” looks like
He shares a childhood story about bedwetting, being punished at home, and then being treated kindly at his friend Billy’s house. That contrast made him realize his home life wasn’t normal and left lasting shame from how school adults responded.
- •He describes being punished for bedwetting as a child
- •At Billy’s house, Billy’s mom responded with care instead of violence
- •He says this moment clarified that what happened at home wasn’t normal
- •He recalls being publicly sprayed at school due to smelling like urine, and how humiliating it was
- •He asks to reconnect with Billy and wonders what happened to him
Nostalgia and modern pressure: rejecting “forced” social media and label demands
Nicky Jam explains he’s deeply nostalgic and feels life has become more complicated. He describes how he once enjoyed creating Instagram content, but when labels tried to force it, it stopped feeling organic and he resisted being commanded.
- •He says he’s fascinated by the past and how simple life used to feel
- •He describes reducing phone use because it feels toxic and doesn’t make him happy
- •He explains he was early to Instagram-style influencing in his space
- •He says labels tried to obligate him to create content, and he refused
- •He emphasizes he responds to collaboration and “why,” not commands
Mental health, anxiety, and relapse: alcohol struggles and feeling judged
Nicky Jam shares that he’s been battling alcohol problems over the last year and that it affected his decisions, including posting that he was retiring. He describes using weed to manage anxiety while not drinking, and says public judgment ignores the context of trauma.
- •He says he’s been dealing with alcohol problems this past year
- •He explains he posted a retirement video while drinking and later removed it
- •He says weed helps his anxiety as he tries not to drink, and he feels judged for it
- •He says he’s had long good stretches but still cycles through struggles
- •He reiterates he doesn’t want the public to expect perfection or label him as a role model
What led to drugs then vs. alcohol now: family exposure, heartbreak, and loneliness at the top
Jay asks what originally drove him into drugs and what brought him back to alcohol. Nicky Jam describes early exposure to drugs in his household, escalating use through his teens, and later returning to drinking through boredom, touring, and a nightlife environment.
- •He says drugs were present throughout his family and home environment
- •He describes starting with weed young and later moving to cocaine after a breakup
- •He describes escalating through multiple substances and heavy Perc use for years
- •He links returning to alcohol to boredom, touring, and nightlife (including time in Amsterdam)
- •He describes loneliness despite success as a factor pulling him back toward old patterns
Finding help and managing anxiety: relying on his circle and confronting consequences
Nicky Jam describes leaning on himself and the people around him—especially his partner—when trying to change. He talks about anxiety, forgetting what happens while drinking, and shares a story about lead exposure as a child that he believes affected him.
- •He says support came from himself and close people like his partner
- •He describes the impact of drinking: blackouts, sleep, and leaving loved ones alone
- •He says he’s always been anxious and restless
- •He shares that as a child he ate paint with lead and believes it contributed to anxiety
- •He acknowledges people may criticize substitutions, but he prioritizes feeling better and avoiding prior destructive drugs
Violence, death threats, and prison: the costs of living recklessly
He explains that earlier in life he didn’t care about living and repeatedly ended up in dangerous situations. He tells a detailed story involving a gun incident at a club, a serious threat afterward, and then describes serving three years in prison and how hard it was to re-enter life afterward.
- •He says he previously normalized near-death danger but not anymore
- •He tells a club story where an accidental discharge escalated into a life-threatening conflict
- •He describes receiving a message that he would be killed if found
- •He says the music industry helped him avoid being killed and he paid money to help the person he shot
- •He describes three years in prison and says re-entry was harder than going in
Moving to Colombia: rebuilding confidence, momentum, and a global comeback
Nicky Jam explains how a show invitation to Colombia came during his lowest moment and changed his life. He describes feeling unexpectedly celebrated, deciding to move, and using the momentum to build hits that expanded to other countries and opportunities.
- •He says he went to Colombia during a low point and was surprised by the audience’s love
- •He recounts being saved for last on a lineup because people most wanted to see him
- •He describes doing many shows, earning again, and realizing Puerto Rico wasn’t helping him recover
- •He says Colombia’s belief in him helped him believe in himself again
- •He describes the expansion from national success to broader regional reach and then global opportunities, which he credits to Colombia
Rebuilding with his mom, talking to God, and choosing forgiveness
He describes his mom as complicated and strong, and explains how he communicated forgiveness while still acknowledging the pain. He shares how he relates to God more through conversation than formal prayer, and later discusses reconciling relationships and why forgiveness improves his quality of life.
- •He says his mom is a difficult person to talk with, shaped by street life and addiction
- •He describes telling her directly he understands her, while also naming what he needed
- •He shares he supports her materially and has been trying to help her travel situation
- •He says he talks to God rather than praying formally, and views God as a best friend
- •He says he and Daddy Yankee are on good terms, and that forgiveness is primarily for yourself
‘Insomnia’ as self-portrait: music as therapy, misunderstandings, relationships, and recovery
Nicky Jam explains that alcohol led to the retirement post and that he’s not retiring because music is his life. He describes his album as reflecting nights of partying, drinking, anxiety, love, and expression, then addresses misconceptions about his relationships and shares his positive experience with gastric bypass recovery.
- •He says alcohol distorted his judgment and led him to say he was retiring, but he won’t retire
- •He describes ‘Insomnia’ as themed around nighttime, partying, drinking, smoking, and his recent years
- •He says one track began as a sad song and evolved into something upbeat while keeping the same story
- •He says art helps clarify misunderstandings, including around his relationships and instability assumptions
- •He describes gastric bypass as stressful beforehand but ultimately positive, including a two-week liquids phase
Fast Five plus a long “destroy you” story: humor, perspective, and a final rule for the world
In the closing segment, Nicky Jam says the conversation feels like therapy and shares a humorous story about a fight that later turned into an apology and friendship. In the Fast Five, he gives short answers about advice, a chapter title for his life, and a rule he wishes everyone followed.
- •He calls the interview therapy and says talking helps him live better
- •He tells a story about a club fight with a man who later apologized and offered support
- •He says the best advice he’s heard is “Live life”
- •He names this phase of life ‘Insomnia’
- •He says the one rule for everyone would be: give yourselves a hug

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