While much has been made about Mariah Carey’s relationship with Derek Jeter in the 1990s, the singer revealed new details on Thursday’s Watch What Happens Live.
The 50-year-old singer was promoting her new book The Meaning of Mariah Carey, when host Andy Cohen said he was struck by how Jeter being bi-racial, ‘seems to have sealed the deal for you.’
After pondering about the question for a bit, Carey admitted that, ‘It was really the main thing about that moment for me.’
Opening up: While much has been made about Mariah Carey’s relationship with Derek Jeter in the 1990s, the singer revealed new details on Thursday’s Watch What Happens Live
‘I talk about it in the book because what it is is that just knowing there was somebody out there that was like me,’ she added.
She added she did, ‘feel so ambiguous and like such an outsider,’ despite the fact that she was ‘living my dream.’
Still, despite all her success, she, ‘didn’t feel really connected to anybody,’ adding she was in an ‘abusive relationship’ with her first husband, Tommy Mottola.
Like her: ‘I talk about it in the book because what it is is that just knowing there was somebody out there that was like me,’ she added
Carey added that she knew it was ‘over’ between her and Mottola, and it was only a ‘matter of time’ before she left him, but Jeter served as a ‘catalyst’ for her to do so.
‘All my life, when I was a little girl, I was like, one day, maybe I’ll meet somebody who’s similar to me, who won’t look down upon me because they feel superior to me, because I’m not one way or another enough for them,’ she added.
She said she hadn’t ever met a man, or even a boy when she was a little girl, ‘that was the same in that way.’
Catalyst: Carey added that she knew it was ‘over’ between her and Mottola, and it was only a ‘matter of time’ before she left him, but Jeter served as a ‘catalyst’ for her to do so
She also had plenty of praise for Jeter’s family, who grew up the son of a black father and Irish mother.
‘They’re a beautiful family, I have nothing but glowing things to say about them. I love his sister. His mother gave me a book by Maya Angelou. They are really good people,’ Carey said.
She added that some might have thought that the book painted Jeter’s family in a negative light, but she thinks she portrayed them, ‘in a very powerful way.’
Jeter praise: She also had plenty of praise for Jeter’s family, who grew up the son of a black father and Irish mother
Cohen, who published the memoir under his Andy Cohen Books imprint of Henry Holt Books, asked Mariah what she wants fans to take away about her from the book.
‘I think most people would have expected it to be predominantly about stardom and all of those things, but the intention was to emancipate my little girl self, who wasn’t famous, who didn’t have money, who didn’t feel worthy,’ she said.
‘I feel like it’s a survivor’s story, and not everybody realized that about me,’ she said, adding there are things in the book that ‘all people can relate to.’
Publisher: Cohen, who published the memoir under his Andy Cohen Books imprint of Henry Holt Books, asked Mariah what she wants fans to take away about her from the book
Survivor: ‘I feel like it’s a survivor’s story, and not everybody realized that about me,’ she said, adding there are things in the book that ‘all people can relate to’