Director Lee Daniels has accused his close friend Mariah Carey of tricking him into featuring on her upcoming reality show.
The filmmaker, who worked with the Hero superstar on his movies Precious, Tennessee, and The Butler, reveals he was invited to join the singer for dinner in New York City, but he was not alerted to the fact their meal would be documented on camera.
"That b**ch," Lee commented during an appearance on SiriusXM's Bevelations show. "She says, 'Come over...!' I show up to this room at a Kosher steakhouse somewhere on Wall Street, and the cameras are in my face and recording our conversation! And she says, 'Dahling, dahling, dahling (sic), sign (the release form), sign it, sign it, we're doing a little documentary.'"
Lee only discovered the real nature of the project the following day, when Mariah's World was officially announced.
"The next day, I'm reading... that she has a f**king reality show, and I'm terrified about it," he said.
Lee went on to express his doubts about the TV series, as he's not sure Mariah will be able to handle any criticism levelled at her once the show airs, according to the New York Post.
"I don't know if it's a wise idea for her," he mused. "I was at the gym, I saw it, and I was like, 'Oh, Lord. What is she doing?' I think it's bigger than her. I think it's not a good idea. I think that the true geniuses have to be saved from themselves sometimes."
The 56-year-old continued, "She is very fragile, and she has been through a lot. She has been used, she has been abused... She masks it with this coquettish thing that is hiding her nervousness and her pain and her own family's abuse to her. She is misunderstood, because she is really, really ride or die. She really, really, really will do anything for you."
Ironically, Mariah claims she signed up for the E! network show because she hopes giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at her life will help to dismiss all the "misconceptions" members of the public have about her personality.
As she promoted Mariah's World in New York on Monday (16May16), she added to E! News, "(Through this show), people will definitely get a better sense of me."
The docu-series is set to premiere later this year (16).
