Mariah Carey Tells Meghan Markle She’s a Diva in New Podcast

Mariah Carey and Meghan Markle went in-depth when it came to “the duality of diva” on the new episode of the Duchess of Sussex’s podcast Archetypes, as the Grammy-winning artist revealed she thinks the former Suits actress has had her own “diva moments” throughout her time in the spotlight.

Carey revealed that her own thoughts about the word “diva” came from her childhood, as her mother used it in a way that had a kind of “grandeur” to it. “Glamorized and fabulous and whatever. And then as things evolved, the past 20 years – I don’t know numbers – the diva, they mean you’re a successful woman, usually,” she continued. “But also, and forgive me if we’re not allowed to say the B-word, but a B-I-T-C-H. Like, it’s not okay for you to be a boss. It’s not okay for you to be a strong woman, you know what I mean?”

When Markle said that the “diva thing” was “not something I connect to,” Carey was quick to interrupt the royal, joking, “You give us diva moments sometimes, Meghan. Don’t even act like…” When Markle protested, Carey went on to clarify, “It’s the visual. It’s the visual. A lot of it is the visual. But let’s pretend that you weren’t so beautiful and didn’t have the whole thing and didn’t often have gorgeous ensembles. You wouldn’t maybe get as much diva.” The “Always Be My Baby” singer added, “People strive for divadom. Revel in it!”

Markle admitted after the interview that she was a bit thrown when Carey called her a diva. “My mind genuinely was just spinning with what nonsense she must have read or clicked on to make her say that,” she confessed. “I just kept thinking in that moment, ‘Was my girl crush coming to a quick demise? Does she actually not see me?’”

The Duchess continued, “So she must have felt my nervous laughter and you all would have heard it too, and she jumped right in to make sure I was crystal-clear when she said ‘diva,’ she was talking about the way that I dress, the posture, the clothing. The quote-unquote fabulousness, as she sees it. She meant diva as a compliment, but I heard it as a dig.”