Ellen outed Mariah Carey's pregnancy in 2008 interview, making her feel uncomfortable: 'I wasn't ready'
Singer Mariah Carey has spoken up about the "extremely uncomfortable" 2008 appearance she had on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'. The talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres, had tried to force her repeatedly to reveal that she was pregnant, Carey said in an interview with Vulture on Monday, August 31. Carey, 50, shared that at the time of the 2008 appearance, she was indeed pregnant but had not wanted to make a public announcement. She revealed she felt 'extremely uncomfortable' after Ellen had outed her pregnancy.
During the interview, the 62-year-old talk show host had asked Carey to confirm or deny rumors that she was pregnant with her then-husband Nick Cannon's baby. She and Cannon had been married for eight years between 2008 and 2016.
Carey laughed off the question and even tried to change the subject but Ellen pressed on. She then offered Carey a glass of champagne in order to prove whether she was pregnant or not based on whether Carey would drink it. Carey could be heard saying, "This is peer pressure." When she faked a sip, Ellen called her out and shouted "You're pregnant!"
While speaking to Vulture, Carey recalled how difficult the moment was for her. She shared, "I was extremely uncomfortable with that moment is all I can say. And I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath." In 2010, she confirmed that she was pregnant at the time when she was on the show but had a miscarriage shortly after.
She and Cannon eventually had twins who are currently 9 years old in 2011. Carey said, "I wasn't ready to tell anyone because I had had a miscarriage. I don't want to throw anyone that's already being thrown under any proverbial bus, but I didn't enjoy that moment." Since the 2008 appearance, Carey has been on the show five more times. She added that she wishes "empathy" had "been implemented" at the time. "But what am I supposed to do? It's like, 'What are you going to do?'" she revealed.
Carey's appearance on Ellen's show has resurfaced as the talk show host is dealing with a widespread and massive scandal where she was accused of running a toxic workplace. Many allegations of bullying, harassment, and toxicity have been against Ellen and some of her top producers by former and current employees.
She had written an open letter apology to her staff which read, "On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that 'The Ellen Degeneres Show' would be a place of happiness – no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry."
"As we've grown exponentially, I've not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I'd want them done. Clearly some didn't. That will now change and I'm committed to ensuring this does not happen again," the letter had continued.