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Mariah Carey is setting the record straight on some of her most talked-about rivalries, including her decades-long drama with Eminem. Appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on October 1, the singer played the late-night host's game Plead the Fifth, where she fielded questions about her personal and professional life.
 
When asked about a resurfaced rumor that Eminem once wanted her to play his mother in his 2002 film 8 Mile, Carey admitted there could be "some truth" to the claim. "From what I heard, there is truth to that," she said. "But I don't think that he actually... Well, who knows who approached who."
 
The story first gained attention earlier this year when producer Damion "Damizza" Young recalled on the TFU podcast that Eminem had pitched Carey for the role. According to Young, the rapper told her directly, "I want you to play my mother," which did not go over well. "She did not like that s--- at all. Her insecurities kicked in big time," he claimed. The part ultimately went to Kim Basinger.
 
While Cohen pressed whether the incident sparked their feud, Carey brushed it off. "Umm, no. I mean, maybe. It depends on what he's thinking. I really don't care. Like, whatever he's said, then I'm that, fine. Not really. But that's a rap lyric."
 
Their back-and-forth stretches back to the early 2000s, when Eminem publicly claimed they had dated, something Carey has always denied. "I hung out with him, I spoke to him on the phone. I think I was probably with him a total of four times. And I don't consider that dating somebody," she told Larry King in 2002. Still, the tension spilled into their music, from Eminem tracks like "Superman" to Carey's 2009 hit "Obsessed," where she dressed as the rapper in the video. Eminem countered with his scathing diss, "The Warning."
 
During the same appearance, Carey also revisited another infamous pop-culture moment — her "I don't know her" comment about Jennifer Lopez. "I mean, the thing is I was being honest when I said it," she explained. "So, I don't know how it became so big. Honesty isn't really something that becomes big, most of the time." Asked if she knows Lopez now, she laughed, "How can I suddenly know—like, you know?"
 
Despite the lingering headlines, Carey kept the mood light, noting she's more focused on her music than on old feuds.