Mariah Carey Recalls Feeling ‘Extremely Uncomfortable’ Following Her 2008 Interview With Ellen DeGeneres

Speaking up. Mariah Carey remembers she was “extremely uncomfortable” after Ellen DeGeneres tried to get her to reveal her pregnancy on The Ellen DeGeneres Show over 10 years ago.

“I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath,” the “We Belong Together” singer, 50, told Vulture on Monday, August 31, of her 2008 appearance on the hit talk show. “I wasn’t ready to tell anyone because I had had a miscarriage,” the Grammy winner explained. “I don’t want to throw anyone that’s already being thrown under any proverbial bus, but I didn’t enjoy that moment.”

During the interview, the comedian offered the expecting mother a sip of champagne as a way to confirm or deny swirling pregnancy rumors at the time. “I can’t believe you did this to me, Ellen,” Mariah said as Ellen, 62, poured her a glass of bubbly. “This is peer pressure. What Ellen is doing, this is peer pressure.”

“Let’s toast to you not being pregnant,” the Finding Nemo alum joked. “Oh my goodness. I can’t believe it,” Mariah replied. “Why would you toast to that?” Although Mariah tried to get out of taking a sip by saying it was “too early” for cocktails, she took a little taste to put an end to Ellen’s banter.

While Mariah said she would have appreciated some “empathy” in that moment, she didn’t appreciate being put on the spot, she told the outlet. “But what am I supposed to do?”

Following the invasive interview, the “Obsessed” singer experienced another miscarriage. After struggling to conceive, Mariah and then-husband Nick Cannon welcomed twins Monroe and Moroccan in 2011.

Mariah’s retelling of her shocking experience with Ellen comes in the throes of controversy amid allegations of workplace misconduct on the talk show. In July, BuzzFeed News published an exposé detailing several former employees who claimed to have experienced a “toxic” environment in addition to acts of racism and sexually inappropriate behavior. Since then, an investigation was launched into the claims and resulted in the termination of executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman, and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman. Leman denied “any kind of sexual impropriety” in a statement to BuzzFeed News, while Norman said he is “100 percent categorically denying these allegations.” Glavin has yet to comment.

Ellen broke her silence on July 30 in a letter to her employees obtained by Us Weekly. She promised to ensure “this does not happen again.”

While Ellen is busy doing damage control following the scandal, producer Andy Lassner revealed “It’s been a couple of rough months” in a personal Instagram video. “But to tell you it hasn’t been rough would be a lie, and I’ve always been honest with you. It’s been rough. But I’m back.”

Mariah isn’t the only star to share their experience with Ellen following the controversy. “Sorry, but it comes from the top @TheEllenShow,” Everyone Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett tweeted on July 31. “[I] know more than one [person] who were [sic] treated horribly by her. Common knowledge.” Backing up his claim, by actress Lea Thompson replied, “True story. It is.”

Only time will tell what will happen with Ellen and her celebrity guests.