The Awful Thing Ellen DeGeneres Made Mariah Carey Do On Her Show

As viewers learn more about the allegedly toxic workplace culture behind The Ellen DeGeneres Show, stories of the talk show host's questionable behavior have begun to resurface to underscore the show's less-than-stellar track record. For instance, Redditors have focused in on how comedian Ellen DeGeneres practically forced singer Mariah Carey to confess her pregnancy, even as she hesitated to do so on-air (per Mirror UK).

Prior to Carey's 2008 appearance on DeGeneres' show, tabloids were overrun with rumors that the pop sensation was pregnant with her first child. However, once DeGeneres got her in the hot seat, the "Hero" singer refused to confirm or deny her status. That's when DeGeneres pulled out her secret weapon.

"Let's toast to you not being pregnant if you're not pregnant," the host said as she poured two glasses of champagne. "Don't discuss that. This is peer pressure," Carey replied. But DeGeneres persisted as she coaxed Carey to sip from the flute. When Carey was caught pretending to take a sip, DeGeneres and the audience erupted in applause under the assumption that Carey's reluctance also served as confirmation of her pregnancy.

However, DeGeneres' shady methods took on an even more sinister tone when Carey had a miscarriage mere weeks after the interview — an experience she didn't reveal until she announced she was pregnant with twins in 2010. "I either talk or I hibernate," she told Access Hollywood (via ABC News). And this time, the reveal was her choice.

When singer Mariah Carey announced that she and her former husband Nick Cannon were expecting twins, the star also revealed that she'd suffered a miscarriage on the path to parenthood. "It kind of shook us both and took us into a place that was really dark and difficult," Carey told Access Hollywood (via ABC News). "When that happened... I wasn't able to even talk to anybody about it. That was not easy."

She later told the Daily Mail that, while she was delighted to discover she was pregnant shortly after she and Cannon got married, her dreams were dashed when as ultrasound revealed her miscarriage the day she and Cannon were set to travel to Aspen, Colo. to celebrate Christmas with friends. "I was going to tell them I was pregnant and make little baby ornaments with them because obviously I didn't know [what had happened] until the scan," she explained.

"That was a difficult Christmas. It was huge. There are really no words and it's difficult to talk about. That was the lowest point for me," Carey noted. "I wasn't sure why it happened. I was working on 'Touch My Body' so I was very thin and working out a lot. I didn't know you had to stop exercising and stop doing yoga when you're pregnant. Nobody told me these things." That's why she wanted "to hold on to a shred of privacy" the second time around, per ABC News. And we can't blame her!

In keeping with her desire for privacy, singer Mariah Carey told People she wants to make sure her twins, son Moroccan and daughter Monroe, remain grounded amid all the glitz and glamour she and her former husband Nick Cannon are constantly surrounded by. "It's hard, but I try to keep them grounded so they don't think everything is just handed to them," the star explained in 2019. "Right now it's like 'I want this,' and I'm like 'You're asking me for something that costs $20.' I can't even imagine having, like, one dollar as a kid because we didn't have money going around. So they have to appreciate those things... They're a lot but they give me so much love in return. I wouldn't be the same person without them."

Carey also acknowledged her bipolar diagnosis and how her childhood environment "didn't just intensify [her] disease," but also her "willingness to seek a long-term solution for it." However, the experience has taught her about the kind of life she wants to give her own kids. "The most important thing I can do for my children is give them what I didn't really have: a chance to live in a safe and secure home surrounded by people who love and support them unconditionally." And thanks to her and Cannon's concerted effort to co-parent effectively and happily, Roc and Roe have all the love and support they'll ever need in life.

While it's not always easy for divorced parents to balance their personal and professional duties, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon have made co-parenting their top priority, as they work together to give twins Moroccan and Monroe the best life possible. "We got our egos and this selfish behavior, [but] when you put your children first, you understand that it's all unconditional love. All that other stuff just falls apart," the former America's Got Talent host told Us Weekly. "I always want what's best for my children."

An inside source confirmed Carey and Cannon's dedication to their kids. "They are both fully committed to being the best parents they can be to the twins," the source told Entertainment Tonight. "Family is Mariah and Nick's number one priority and they are such great, hands-on parents... They call and text pretty frequently about the kids and it's always direct. They don't go through nannies or assistants."

Carey added that the two have developed new love for each other, which makes the situation easier, too. "He's a good guy," Carey told Entertainment Tonight. "It's not that hard to make it work. Now we can laugh, and joke, and do the good parts of when we had a relationship." As the source noted, Carey and Cannon are "in a really good place together right now," and when it comes to their mental and emotional health, that's truly the greatest foundation any parent can provide.