Mariah Carey’s ‘Christmas Miracle’ Was Ruined By Ellen DeGeneres

Mariah Carey has captivated audiences for decades with her soaring vocals and electrifying presence on stage and on screen. The Grammy-winning singer is also known for her love of Christmas, thanks in part to her number 1 song about the holiday. But one year, she lost a personal “Christmas miracle” not long after facing probing questions from Ellen DeGeneres.

Singer Mariah Carey performs during New Year’s Eve 2017 in Times Square on December 31, 2016 in New York City | Noam Galai/FilmMagic Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon had a ‘Christmas miracle’

In 2008, Mariah Carey married a fellow longtime fixture in the entertainment industry, Nick Cannon. The two were one of the hottest couples in Hollywood, and they were frequently hounded by questions about when they would have children.

In her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the “Fantasy” singer revealed the details of her first pregnancy with Cannon.

“It was near Christmastime, and I was ten weeks pregnant. It was our Christmas miracle!” she recalled. “Nick and I were beyond excited. We kept our little secret between us, but of course I planned to make the revelation an event over our Christmas vacation. I was even designing tree ornaments as the announcements for friends and family.”

However, Carey and Cannon’s happiness soon turned to heartbreak.

American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey performs during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square on December 31, 2017 in New York | Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images Mariah Carey had a miscarriage

The year was 2008, and Carey and Cannon were hit with a gut-wrenching disappointment right before Christmas.

“On a routine checkup at our obstetrician’s office, the sonogram was silent,” Carey remembered. “The sacred, rhythmic swoosh of our baby’s heartbeat was gone — and in that silence I could hear my own heart crack.”

The experience was debilitating for Carey, but she contended that it made her a stronger person: “I survived my miscarriage, but I will never forget it.”

Mariah Carey and Ellen DeGeneres perform onstage during TNT’s “Christmas in Washington 2010” at the National Building Museum on December 12, 2010 in Washington, DC | Theo Wargo/Getty

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Ellen DeGeneres probed Mariah Carey about her pregnancy before her miscarriage

Carey famously appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2008 to talk about music and much more. But the interview went haywire when DeGeneres began probing Carey about if she was pregnant or not, having just married Cannon two weeks prior. She was hesitant to reveal her secret due to the high likelihood of miscarriage in the early stages of pregnancy.

At one point, DeGeneres tried to force an answer out of Carey by insisting she drink some champagne. “Let’s toast to you not being pregnant,” DeGeneres pushed. Carey faked taking a small sip of the sparkling wine, leading DeGeneres to say, “You’re pregnant!”

Carey revealed in 2010 that she miscarried soon after that interview. In 2020, she looked back on the incident in a profile for Vulture.

“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 said honestly. “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.”