Mariah Carey's most memorable diva moments: From THAT awkward interview with Cat Deeley to 'not knowing' Jennifer Lopez

Daily Mail​

22-06-2025

Mariah Carey 's awkward interview with Cat Deeley has resurfaced after the star performed at Capital's Summertime Ball last weekend.
The American singer, 56, took to the stage at Wembley Stadium on Sunday for the annual event and was mobbed by fans when leaving her London hotel.
Back in 2002, Mariah was interviewed by This Morning host Cat who was then presenting music show CD:UK with Ant and Dec.
The singer proved she lives up to her diva reputation when she shut down Cat's questions about her rumoured romance with Eminem.
Cat asked the Grammy winner, if it was true she and the Without Me rapper had been in a relationship.
'Define relationship,' came Mariah's frosty response.
'Is it true you went out on dates?' continued Cat.
'No,' the songstress stated. 'I was friends with him - physical anything - no!' she shot back.
A clearly uncomfortable Cat, replied, 'I like the fact that… I like that,' before quickly changing the subject.
But it's far from the only diva bit Mariah has had over the years as MailOnline takes a look back at some of her most memorable moments.
1. She 'doesn't know' Jennifer Lopez
One of Mariah's most famous diva moments came in 2003 when she said she 'didn't know Jennifer during an interview with the German television program taff.
When asked about her thoughts on Lopez, Carey shook her head and responded with the now-iconic phrase, which later became a viral meme.
The perceived feud stems from several factors, primarily linked to Mariah's ex-husband, Tommy Mottola, a former Sony Music CEO.
In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, Carey alleges that Mottola sabotaged her 2001 album Glitter and its lead single 'Loverboy' after their 1998 divorce.
She claims Mottola gave a sample of the song 'Firecracker' by Yellow Magic Orchestra, which she intended to use for 'Loverboy,' to Lopez for her hit single 'I'm Real.'
Mariah alleged Mottola redirected a planned collaboration with Ja Rule from her to Jennifer, further fueling tensions.
Mariah referred to Jennifer in her memoir as 'another female entertainer on their label (whom I don't know).'
2. The time she dissed Madonna
In an interview with Spin magazine in the 90s, Madonna was asked, 'Are there moments when you just say I wish I was Mariah Carey, just singing silly pop songs?'
The hitmaker laughed and replied, 'I'd kill myself.'
Mariah didn't take kindly to this remark and made a diss at Madonna's age and relevancy in an MTV interview.
She said: 'I really haven't paid attention to Madonna since I was in seventh or eighth grade when she used to be popular.'
Ouch.
3. Her feud with Nicki Minaj
While Mariah's feuds with Jennifer and Madonna played out in the press, her beef with Nicki Minaj was face-to-face.
The two women clashed during season 12 of American Idol when they both joined the judging panel.
Reports surfaced of on-set tension, with a leaked video from October 2012 showing Nicki angrily confronting Mariah during auditions in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In the clip, Minaj is heard saying, 'I told them, I'm not fin' putting up with her fin' highness over there,' referring to Mariah. Nicki also accused Mariah of making negative comments about her, escalating the situation.
In a later interview with Barbara Walters, Mariah was asked if she was the unnamed 'b***h' Nicki sang about in one of her songs.
'Don't know. I didn't know she sang. I thought she rapped. Or whatever,' Mariah replied.
4. Backing out of Will Ferrell's film
Mariah was cast to appear as herself in a failed cameo in Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler's 2017 film The House.
The scene was planned to be Mariah singing one of her songs in an illegal casino setting and then be humorously 'shot'.
However, the cameo was scrapped due to Mariah's on-set behavior, which Will and co-stars described as unprofessional and disruptive.
She was reportedly four hours late to the Los Angeles set, as confirmed by Ferrell on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in June 2017.
When she arrived, she refused to perform the pre-approved scene, saying, 'I don't want to do this scene,' despite prior agreement. She is also said to have demanded stuffed lambs and white roses in her trailer.
The delays and demands led to what Will described as a 'shitstorm' and her cameo was cut from the film.
5. Calling out her backup singer
Mariah is not above interrupting a live performance if things aren't going to her liking.
In a 2008 appearance on Good Morning America, the star chastised one of her backup singers who she belived was singing her part.
Mariah turned around mid-performance and sang: 'Stop singing my part now, baby.'
6. Flourescent lights
On an episode of her 2016 reality show Mariah's World, the star refused to remove her sunglasses while in a room with flourescent lighting.
She then explained she would never be seen in such places without her sunnies on.
'I'm wearing these glasses because we're in fluorescent lighting, and I have a rule which states that I will not be seen in fluorescent lighting without sunglasses — I know it's very '90s,' she said.
7. Her refusal to recognise birthdays
Mariah has a unique approach to ageing - she doesn't acknowledge her birthday.
In a 2014 interview with Out magazine, she famously stated, 'I don't count years, but I definitely rebuke them—I have anniversaries, not birthdays, because I celebrate life, darling.'
She added, 'I'm eternally 12 years old,' emphasizing her whimsical rejection of ageing.
In a 2016 Complez Magazine interivew, when asked about turning 46, Mariah quipped, 'I don't have a birthday. I was just dropped here. It was a fairyland experience.'
8. The time she threw shade at the Grammys
Mariah has five Grammys to her name but in an interview with V magazine, she insisted artists shouldn't care too much about them.
'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn,' she said. 'I mean, I have five Grammys. That's cute ... I won two Grammys the first year I started, but after that, [the Grammys] are like, 'We don't go with the people that are selling a lot of records and are popular; we're gonna go the opposite way.'
'So I got screwed out of certain years. I wasn't bitter about it. I was just like, 'OK, well, I guess I'm not standing here barefoot onstage singing and trying to go a certain way. I'm just me.''