Throughout her historic career, Mariah Carey has become synonymous with whistle tones, Christmas, Number 1 hits, and yes, being a shady diva. While can “diva” sometimes have a negative connotation, we certainly don’t see it that way when it comes to the “elusive chanteuse” herself.
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From interview clips to interactions with the paparazzi, you never know what you’re gonna get when you talk to M.C., but you know for sure it’s going to be memorable. Just this week, Carey added yet another epically shady moment to her repitoire, proving that she certainly has no plans of slowing down her lethal reads anytime soon.
In honor of this new moment, we’re taking a walk down memory lane, looking back at our favorite, deliciously diva moments from the one and only Mariah Carey.
“I Don’t Have a Birthday”
Mariah’s latest moment has taken the internet by storm. In an interview this week for Capital FM, she was asked if it was “real” that she “doesn’t acknowledge the passing of time.” She confirmed in the clip that she indeed does “not believe” in time. When asked if she celebrates her birthday, she replied, “I don’t have a birthday, no.” Iconic.
“I Don’t Know Her”
Perhaps the shadiest clip of them all, Carey’s quote about Jennifer Lopez is one that lives on forever. In a clip from the early 2000s, Carey is asked what she thinks about Jennifer Lopez. Shaking her head, Carey says, “I don’t know her.” The clip became a meme that has lived on for over 20 years.
“I Still Don’t Know Her”
Years later, people were still going up to Carey to bring up “I Don’t Know Her,” even TMZ. In one even shadier moment, the outlet asked Carey back in 2016 about fans referencing that moment all of those years later. She then replied, “I still don’t know her!” Epic.
“Stop Singing My Part Now Baby”
Another shady moment comes from her performance of “Touch My Body” on Good Morning America. While performing her lead single, she is clearly heard singing, “Stop singing my part, now baby,” into the mic, while pointing back at her background singers. Yikes!
Mariah Shades Nicki
We all remember the Mariah Carey-Nicki Minaj feud from their days on American Idol. While the show itself had plenty of tense moments between the two of them, perhaps the shadiest moment from Mariah came from her later interview with the late Barbara Walters. When the host asked her if she thinks Nicki was “singing” about her in her latest diss track, Carey replied, “I don’t know what she’s singing…I didn’t know she sang. I thought she rapped, or whatever.”
Mariah Shades Madonna
Back in the 90s, there was also some tension between Madonna and Carey, especially after the pop star publicly made some shady comments herself about Carey. In a perfectly shady diss back, Carey said in an interview, “I really haven’t paid attention to Madonna since I was in 7th or 8th grade, when she used to be popular,” through a smile. “So, I didn’t hear that.”
“I Don’t Hear You. I Don’t See You. You Don’t Exist To Me.”
Another iconic moment from the American Idol days comes from the press junket, when she said one of her best quotes. “I Don’t Hear You. I Don’t See You. You Don’t Exist To Me.”
“He Ain’t On the Hand”
Another major feud of Carey’s was between her and Eminem (remember when she fully dropped a diss track, “Obsessed,” dedicated to him?). When sitting down with Oprah, who was pressing her on the nature of how they know each other, she told the talk show host, “In terms of me having an intimate relationship with men? I can name them all on one hand, and he ain’t on the hand!”
3 Nice Things About Eminem
In perhaps her shadiest moment speaking about Eminem, Andy Cohen asked the singer to say “three nice things” about the rapper. She cheekily replied, “They come in a package that you can carry wherever you go, everybody likes them around the world, and they’re tasty! Peanut, and you can have the regular kind.” Yes, she completely dodged the question by bringing up the M&M candy instead. Brilliant.
“Not Everybody Has That”
In another shady moment with Nicki, the two were sparring on American Idol, when Carey made a slight jab about having a Number 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, saying they’re “difficult to get, not everybody has that.” For context, Nicki had zero number 1s at the time. Mariah had 18.
Muni Long Moment
As we reported, Carey had another viral moment just last March during Muni Long’s tribute performance to the singing legend. While Muni sang “We Belong Together,” Carey made a face and slightly turned her head, in a moment that will now live in infamy.
Grammys Shade
Another one of Carey’s epic feuds has been with the Grammys themselves. Take this shady moment, when she was asked if she had watched the Grammys that year. Her response, “Do you really think I watched that show?”
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