On Purpose with Jay Shetty

NICK JONAS: The REAL Story Behind a Lifetime of Fame, His Inner Critic, and How Fatherhood Changed Everything

February 4, 2026

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  • Early life labels, such as being called "the shy one," can stick and become part of one's self-talk, requiring conscious effort to shed later in life. 
  • Nick Jonas's career was significantly shaped by early struggles, including financial uncertainty, losing a record deal, and his Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, which ultimately fueled the creation of his breakthrough self-titled album. 
  • Parenthood, especially navigating the intense early health challenges of his daughter, profoundly shifted Nick Jonas's perspective and priorities, emphasizing the need for patience and mutual support within his marriage. 
  • Modeling respectful partnership for one's daughter (specifically how Nick treats Priyanka) is a crucial responsibility in parenting. 
  • Defensiveness, often rooted in protecting an idealized, non-existent version of the self (ego), hinders healthy marital connection, and choosing a hug over defense improves life. 
  • Fatherhood introduces a paradoxical experience of heightened anxiety (especially following a difficult start for the child) alongside a renewed capacity for carefree silliness and curiosity. 

Segments

Nick Jonas Today Identity
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(00:05:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Parenthood profoundly shifted Nick Jonas’s perspective and self-view, influencing his work and identity beyond the spotlight.
  • Summary: Nick Jonas today is defined significantly by his role as a husband to Priyanka Chopra Jonas and father to their daughter, Malti Marie. This new role has provided a better sense of self and an outlet for deeper expression in his songwriting. His audience has grown alongside him, allowing his music to resonate with peers experiencing similar life changes.
Early Career and Broadway Start
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(00:07:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Nick Jonas began his professional performing career at age eight on Broadway after being discovered in a hair salon.
  • Summary: His path to performance started young, leading to Broadway shows before the Jonas Brothers formed. A key moment involved an agent encouraging him to learn show tunes after initially only knowing pop music. This early exposure served as an intense, albeit informal, training ground for public life.
Family Faith and Financial Hardship
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(00:09:28)
  • Key Takeaway: The family’s early life involved strict religious expectations, followed by significant financial debt after their first album failed, forcing a major pivot.
  • Summary: Growing up as the children of a minister meant high visibility and expected behavior, which prepared them for the Disney spotlight. After being dropped by their initial label, the family faced hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. This period coincided with the father losing his ministry position and Nick being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Finding Grounding Through Struggle
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(00:14:29)
  • Key Takeaway: Writing music in the basement, using a V-drum kit, was the primary mechanism the brothers used to process family struggle and create their successful self-titled album.
  • Summary: Writing music became the essential outlet for navigating the family’s difficult period, including faith questioning and health crises. The songs written during this nine-to-ten-month window of intense struggle became the demo for their self-titled album, which went on to sell millions. This creative action provided the necessary momentum to break through the difficult times.
Identity Beyond Group Labels
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(00:17:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Being labeled early in the Jonas Brothers created limiting self-talk, but the experience also built necessary grit and resilience for navigating public life.
  • Summary: Labels assigned by the public, like ’the shy one,’ caused Nick to subscribe to them, which limited his self-perception, especially in his late teens. The lack of traditional mental health support during this time meant he had to rely on grit to handle the glamorous and challenging aspects of fame. He now recognizes that two truths can coexist: the past label and his current evolved self.
Confronting the Inner Critic
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(00:30:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The song ‘Gut Punch’ directly addresses the self-critical inner voice, stemming from past public failures and the pressure of maintaining a musician’s identity.
  • Summary: Nick Jonas recognized his inner critic became particularly harsh after a public performance where he blanked on a guitar solo, threatening his identity as a musician. He realized he was making jokes preemptively, assuming the world was judging him for the mistake. The lyrics reflect a desire to reconnect with the fearless inner child who wasn’t so concerned with perfection.
Fatherhood and Daughter’s Birth Story
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(00:38:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Malti Marie Jonas was born prematurely via surrogate during COVID, requiring three and a half months in the NICU under the constant care of her parents.
  • Summary: Nick expressed awe at his daughter’s magic and the gratitude she seems to carry after her difficult entry into the world. He and Priyanka maintained 12-hour shifts at the hospital for three and a half months, focusing on supporting each other through the frightening experience. Patience with each other was crucial for navigating the overwhelming nature of that time.
Marriage Dynamics and Protection
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(00:52:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Protecting the marriage involves prioritizing privacy, finding ways to laugh through tough moments, and recognizing that being reliable and trustworthy is the core responsibility of a good husband.
  • Summary: Cultural differences and an age gap are seen as strengths that bond Nick and Priyanka, with Nick embracing the importance of family central to Indian culture. A key area for improvement for Nick is overcoming his tendency to be reactive and defensive in conversations. He strives to be a reliable partner so that his treatment of Priyanka sets a positive example for their daughter.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas Q&A
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(00:54:59)
  • Key Takeaway: Priyanka initially perceived Nick as acting older than his age by taking her to a ‘bougie bar’ with an older average age.
  • Summary: Priyanka stated that Nick said ‘I love you’ first, about two and a half months into dating, and she realized he was the one when he asked her to marry him. Her favorite song of his is ‘Close,’ and she finds his most annoying habit to be typing texts while talking to her on the phone. Nick’s most competitive area, according to Priyanka, is ’everything.’
Modeling Partnership for Daughter
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(01:01:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Treating one’s partner well is essential for shaping the daughter’s future understanding of relationships.
  • Summary: Nick Jonas emphasizes that the way he treats his wife, Priyanka, directly impacts who their daughter will become. His responsibility includes ensuring Priyanka feels happy and safe, acknowledging that life involves disorientation and overwhelming emotions. Relying on a supportive partner makes traversing these emotional complexities significantly easier.
Defensiveness and Inner Critic
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(01:02:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Defensiveness in marriage often stems from protecting an unrealistic, ‘perfect’ version of the self.
  • Summary: Nick identifies being reactive and defensive as an area for personal improvement in his marriage, often triggered by perceiving neutral comments as criticism. He questions what he is trying to protect when being defensive, realizing it is an attempt to shield a perfect version of himself that does not exist. Choosing a hug over defensiveness leads to a demonstrably better life experience.
Fatherhood’s Impact on Creativity
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(01:03:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Fatherhood surprised Nick by making it easy to embrace silliness and imagination, improving his creative work.
  • Summary: Nick Jonas shared lyrics from his song ‘Princesses’ highlighting his deep desire to be present in his daughter’s world. He was surprised by how easily he adopted a silly voice and played make-believe, overcoming past embarrassment about being silly. Spending time in his daughter’s magical, anything-is-possible world prepares him better for songwriting and acting.
Privacy for Child’s Choice
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(01:05:43)
  • Key Takeaway: A child’s involvement in the spotlight must remain their choice, supported by parental context if they pursue it.
  • Summary: The decision to keep his daughter out of the spotlight is based on ensuring she has the choice later in life. Nick is grateful his parents supported his dream, but his daughter has not yet expressed interest in that path. The world is deemed ‘crazy’ and ‘weird,’ necessitating privacy for her to develop into who she wants to become.
Managing Anxiety Through Routine
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(01:09:45)
  • Key Takeaway: Movement, routine, and transparent therapy are essential tools for navigating parental anxiety following stressful events.
  • Summary: Fears intensified after his daughter’s entry into the world, particularly following her time in the NICU, leading to anxiety about life in general. Moving the body—through workouts, walking, or golf—is a reliable method for clearing the mind during overwhelming moments. Speaking transparently with a therapist, without judging the need for honesty, provides crucial balance and health benefits, especially for men who face stigma around therapy.
Golden Globes Overwhelm
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(01:15:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Public events like the Golden Globes can trigger physical stress responses exacerbated by heat and underlying health conditions.
  • Summary: Nick experienced a ‘gut punch’ moment at the Golden Globes due to intense heat, which affected him physically because of his Type 1 diabetes. The combination of heat, sweating, clammy hands, and low glucose levels caused him to step outside for fresh air. He advocates that everyone should take a necessary second when feeling overwhelmed, noting that chaotic red carpets are often more stressful than they appear.
Gut Reaction Game Insights
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(01:19:43)
  • Key Takeaway: The best advice received is to ‘Live like you’re at the bottom, even if you’re at the top,’ and Priyanka is consistently perceptive about people.
  • Summary: In the ‘Gut Reaction’ game, Nick stated the worst advice he’s heard is ‘Take this tequila shot.’ He refuses to believe in guilty pleasures, asserting one should love whatever music they enjoy, citing Nickelback as an example. He admitted that his wife, Priyanka, is always right about people due to her perceptive listening skills.
Law for Societal Value
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(01:21:28)
  • Key Takeaway: If given the power to create one universal law, Nick would mandate increased compensation for teachers and NICU nurses.
  • Summary: Nick’s proposed universal law is that teachers should receive higher pay. He immediately amended this to include NICU nurses, recognizing them as amazing people working hard daily to make the country function. This reflects a value placed on essential caregiving and educational roles.