Mariah Carey Opened Up About Her "Extremely Uncomfortable" Ellen DeGeneres Pregnancy Reveal

Amid accusations of workplace hostility, Ellen DeGeneres’s treatment of her celebrity talk show guests has come into question as well. Reels of the comedian mocking Sofia Vergara’s accent or using Drew Barrymore’s childhood substance abuse for easy laughs have resurfaced in the months since the DeGeneres reckoning began. Vergara later clarified that she was "in on the joke."

One of the most upsetting examples is Mariah Carey’s 2008 visit to The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in which the host brought out champagne for Carey (who was rumored to be pregnant) and wouldn’t take no for an answer when she refused to drink it. “You’re pregnant!” DeGeneres shouted as Carey took a mock-sip. Soon after her appearance, Carey had a miscarriage.

In a recent Vulture profile, the singer opened up about the experience. “I was extremely uncomfortable with that moment is all I can say. And I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath,” she told the publication. “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,” Carey continued. “But what am I supposed to do?”

Allegations regarding DeGeneres and her show’s mistreatment of employees amped up at the beginning of the pandemic as crew members shared their “outrage” after being left in the dark in terms of their job security moving forward.

A few months later, new allegations of racism, intimidation, and unjust termination were reported by Buzzfeed. Three of the show’s top reporters have since been fired and DeGeneres has apologized to her staff.