Mariah Carey felt "extremely uncomfortable" when she was pushed to confirm she was pregnant during an appearance on the ‘Ellen Degeneres Show’.
The ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ hitmaker – who has nine-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with her ex-husband Nick Cannon – appeared on Ellen Degeneres’ talk show back in 2008, amid speculation at the time that she may have been expecting a baby.
During the episode, Ellen offered Mariah a glass of champagne to test if the singer was pregnant, and Mariah – who was pregnant at the time, but tragically miscarried her child – has now insisted she "didn’t enjoy that moment".
She said: "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."
The 50-year-old singer said she would have liked to see some "empathy" from Ellen and her team about the situation.
Speaking during an interview with Vulture, she added: "[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?’"
Mariah’s confession comes after Ellen, 62, and her talk show have been under intense scrutiny in recent months, following allegations of a "toxic" work environment caused by three producers of the programme.
The show "parted ways" with executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman, and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman earlier this month as a result of the claims, and Ellen – who was not accused of any wrongdoing in the initial allegations, but has since been slammed by some former guests – sent a letter of apology to staff after the allegations emerged.
She wrote: "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.
"For that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show."