She is worth around £400million so it is small wonder Mariah Carey has been the target of greedy pals and family members eager to grab a cut of her fortune.
Now the superstar has opened up for the first time about how she has struggled to cope with the money-grabbers, describing herself as an “ATM machine with a wig”.
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey, Mariah even felt some of her friends and family ended up relying on her fame, pushing her to work harder to bring in more cash.
Mariah says it led to her suffering a breakdown and being admitted to a private centre for treatment.
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The singer added: “When there are people connected to you as a person that achieves a certain level of success, you are a target — you’re vulnerable. But I wouldn’t have gone here if things hadn’t been done to me, if I hadn’t been dragged by certain people and treated as an ATM machine with a wig on. It’s like, ‘Let me get some money, and let me get some money no matter what.’ ”
Mariah also opened up about her difficult relationship with her mum Patricia, brother Morgan and sister Alison as she discussed her new autobiography, The Meaning Of Mariah Carey, with the chat-show legend.
In the talk, which aired on Apple+, Mariah added: “They have attacked me for decades. But when I was 12 years old, my sister drugged me with Valium, offered me a pink nail full of cocaine and inflicted me with third-degree burns and tried to sell me to a pimp.”
She went on to claim she thought Alison was “troubled” and “traumatised” and blamed her for bringing about “traumatic events” in her life.
Mariah, whose white mother and black father separated when she was three, claimed the reason behind her siblings’ treatment of her was because of her lighter skin colour.
She added: “We don’t even know each other. By the time I got into the world they were damaged, in my opinion. We’re not even that far apart tonally. They just grew up with the experience of living with a black father and a white mother together as a family, and I was, for the most part, living with my mother, which they saw as easier.”
Mariah also told about her troubled relationship with her first husband, music exec Tommy Mottola, who she claimed treated her like a “prisoner”.
She said: “I actually didn’t believe I was entitled to success and happiness because I assumed nothing is ever perfect for anyone. It’s a constant struggle. Yes, I am at a place where I believe I am worthy of success and happiness and it’s a healthier place.”
Photo Credit: Getty
