#Mariah Carey Recalls ‘Extremely Uncomfortable’ Moment on Ellen, But Won’t Say More

The controversy surrounding the allegedly toxic environment created by executives at The Ellen Degeneres Show continues to fester. New voices are joining the online debate regarding Ellen’s behavior towards her staff, and some of the celebrities that appeared as guests. In an interview with Vulture, Mariah Carey admitted feeling uncomfortable during an interview with Ellen where the host forced her to reveal her pregnancy to the public.

“I was extremely uncomfortable with that moment is all I can say. And I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath. 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. [There is] an empathy that can be applied to those moments that I would have liked to have been implemented. But what am I supposed to do? It’s like, [sings] ‘What are you going to do?'”

The clip in question, available on YouTube, shows Ellen DeGeneres pressuring an unwilling Carey to admit to her pregnancy by plying her with champagne. The singer attempts to refuse, before taking the drink and pretending to take a sip, at which Ellen exclaims, “You’re pregnant!”

Unfortunately, Mariah Carey suffered a miscarriage shortly afterward. While the singer appeared on Ellen multiple times after that, it is clear the manner in which news of her pregnancy was handled on the show was not to her liking. Apart from Carey, another guest on the show, YouTuber NikkieTutorials, had spoken about being made to feel unwelcome on the show, by a “cold” and “distant” Ellen.

“Maybe I’m being naive, but I expected them to welcome me with confetti: ‘Welcome to The Ellen DeGeneres Show!’, But instead I got greeted by an angry intern, who was a bit overworked. I expected a Disney show, but I got a ‘Teletubbies’ after dark. Every guest at Ellen had a private toilet, but I didn’t,” she said. “I couldn’t even use the closest toilet to me because it was reserved for the Jonas Brothers.”

Such stories have prompted fans to dig into past clips from the show to support evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Ellen. Some pointed to a clip where Ellen makes fun of Sofia Vergara, but Vergara shot down the rumors by clarifying on Twitter that the moment was planned and she was in on the joke.

Other celebrities have also come out in support of Ellen since the controversy started, most notably Kevin Hart and Katy Perry, who vouched that their own experiences with Ellen had always been pleasant. For her part, Ellen is said to have apologized to her staff for any perceived wrongdoing on her part and has promised that things will be different going forward. It remains to be seen if the acclaimed talk show host will make good on her promise, and help create a more positive vibe on the sets of the Ellen Degeneres show. Vulture brings us this story.