Mariah Called Meghan Markle A Diva, And It Led To A Bit Of Misunderstanding
One little word can have two very different meanings.
Meghan Markle earned a surprising new title recently, and it’s not one she initially liked. On the Tuesday, Aug. 30 episode of her new Spotify podcast Archetypes, she sat down with Mariah Carey to discuss the multiple meanings of the word “diva,” a word the two women use very differently. Toward the end of the show, Markle admitted even she misunderstood the label in a conversation with the singer, which led to an awkward moment.
When Markle told Carey that “diva” is not a word she “connects” to, Carey responded by saying she can see some “diva” in the Duchess: “You give us diva moments sometimes, Meghan. Don’t even act like it.” Markle became audibly flustered and asked the singer what kind of “diva moments” she’s had. That’s when Carey explained, “A lot of it is the visual. 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' stuff.”
While Carey meant it as a compliment, Markle revealed she immediately associated “diva” with the negative connotations of the word. “It was all going swimmingly, I mean really well. Until that moment happened, which I don't know about you, but it stopped me in my tracks,” Meghan recalled of Mariah calling her a “diva” in the podcast’s narration. “I started to sweat a little bit. I started squirming in my chair in this quiet revolt.”
Markle said she thought Carey read something negative about her online that made her think the Duchess was a diva. “I just kept thinking, in that moment, was my girl crush coming to a quick demise? Does she actually not see me?” Markle said, before clarifying that it was all a misunderstanding. “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.”
Markle ended her podcast by saying it’s “mind-blowing” how “one very charged word” can have very different meanings to people. “[Mariah] meant diva as a compliment, but I heard it as a dig. I heard it as the word diva, as I think of it,” Markle explained. “But, in that moment, as she explained to me, she meant it as chic, as aspirational.”
Days after their episode dropped, Carey promoted the show by tweeting, “Really enjoyed talking to Duchess and Diva Meghan Markle about ‘The Duality of Diva.’ Yes! I called her a diva, in the most fabulous, gorgeous, and empowering meaning of the word!!!”
So, there you have it. Meghan Markle is a certified diva, and proud of it!
