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Mariah Carey Says Ellen DeGeneres Made Her 'Extremely Uncomfortable' In Pregnancy Interview

The singer reflected on a 2008 appearance on the comedian's talk show, during which DeGeneres pressured her into revealing a rumoured pregnancy.

Mariah Carey won’t be joining the long list of celebrities defending Ellen DeGeneres as she faces allegations that she fostered a toxic work environment on her long-running talk show.

The R&B icon reflected on her own brush with DeGeneres years ago, when the host essentially manipulated Carey into revealing she was pregnant amid rumours that she was expecting a child with then-husband Nick Cannon.

Reflecting on the 2008 interview in an expansive Vulture profile published on Monday, Carey said that she was “extremely uncomfortable” with the exchange at the time.

During her appearance on the talk show, DeGeneres appeared to surprise Carey by mentioning the speculation about her personal life.

“Don’t discuss that,” a shocked Carey said in response, before DeGeneres handed her a flute of champagne, in an attempt by the host to get Carey to prove she wasn’t pregnant. “I can’t believe you did this to me, Ellen.”

When Carey pretended to sip from the glass, DeGeneres declared that she was indeed pregnant.

While the exchange might have seemed relatively innocuous at the time, Carey later had a miscarriage, a fact she didn’t reveal until years later when announcing she was pregnant again. Carey and Cannon welcomed twins Monroe and Moroccan in 2011.

“I was extremely uncomfortable with that moment is all I can say. And I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath,” Carey told Vulture. “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.”

Carey, pregnant with twins at the time, and Ellen DeGeneres perform together during a Christmas event in 2010.
Theo Wargo via Getty Images
Carey, pregnant with twins at the time, and Ellen DeGeneres perform together during a Christmas event in 2010.

For months, DeGeneres has been at the center of a slew of workplace misconduct and harassment allegations, stemming from two BuzzFeed articles published in June.

The reports featured troubling accounts from one current and 10 former employees, who said they faced “racism, fear, and intimidation” at work, prompting Warner Bros. Television to launch an internal investigation.

Earlier this month, executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman, as well as co-executive producer Jonathan Norman, “parted ways” with the show, while DeGeneres has reportedly apologised to her staff multiple times.

Ashton Kutcher, Diane Keaton and Kevin Hart have all spoken in defence of DeGeneres, citing their own positive interactions with the talk show host.

When describing her own experience, Carey kept it classy, saying that there is “empathy that can be applied to those moments that I would have liked to have been implemented.”

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