Mariah Carey clarifies she called Meghan Markle a “diva” in an “empowering” way

Mariah Carey is the guest on the latest episode of Meghan Markle‘s podcast Archetypes, and a good part of their conversation has to do with the word “diva.” Mariah says being called a “diva” is a compliment and a criticism, noting that for her, it’s both. Now, she wants to clarify that when she used that word to describe Meghan in the podcast, she meant it only in the most positive way.

In the episode, when Meghan said she doesn’t “connect to” the “diva thing,” Mariah playfully teased her, “You give us diva moments sometimes, Meghan,” the singer said. “Don’t even act like [you don’t].” Meghan starts to sputter and stammer and cries, “What kind of diva moments do I give you?”

“It’s the visual. It’s the visual,” Mariah quickly explains, saying that Megan’s beauty and her “gorgeous ensembles” make it seem like she’s “giving” us “diva.” “Oh, it’s the look,” says a relieved Meghan.

After the interview portion concludes, Meghan then reveals that when Mariah said that, she started to sweat and squirm in her chair, and her mind was “spinning” at the idea that the singer would ever use that word to define her.

Now, Mariah has tweeted further clarification. “Really enjoyed talking to Duchess and Diva Meghan Markle about ‘The Duality of Diva,” she writes. “Yes! I called her a diva, in the most fabulous, gorgeous, and empowering meaning of the word!!!”

Earlier in the podcast, Mariah and Meghan discussed the evolution of the term “diva,” which originally meant a prodigiously talented female performer and now, more often than not, has the connotation of, as Mariah puts it, “a b***h.”