Mariah Carey learned about the Las Vegas mass shooting during an interview on “Good Morning Britain” in one of the most uncomfortable situations possible: Lounging in front of a Christmas tree.
Carey, who was on the program to promote a pair of Christmas shows in the UK, was asked by hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid about the deadly shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas that left more than 50 people dead and hundreds injured.
“It’s just awful. Again, I pray for the victims and hope that all of this can stop as soon as possible,” Carey said. “I’ve spent a lot of time in Vegas. This type of thing happening anywhere is a huge tragedy. So I continue to pray for the victims and hope we have an end to this as soon as possible.”
The singer just ended her residency at Caesars Palace in July and she’ll be back in December for a run of Christmas shows.
“It’s terrible because people are just going out to listen to music,” she continued. “They’re out for the night and something like this happens, it’s shocking.”
Morgan added that the shooting wasn’t the reason why she appeared on the show, and cut to a commercial break, but that didn’t stop people from noticing the disparity between a pop star lounging in front of a Christmas tree and a mass shooting.
Most blamed the show for blindsiding Carey, but some on Twitter commented just on the weird image.
Mariah Carey live on @GMB with a Christmas tree in the background pic.twitter.com/aNx8QOP9Q7
— Amber de Botton (@amberdebotton) October 2, 2017
Give Mariah Carey a break. She was on GMB to discuss a Christmas tour not the Las Vegas shooting. It's not her fault she was blind-sided.
— Hanna Ines Flint (@HannaFlint) October 2, 2017
https://twitter.com/katielowndes/status/914751357327994880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fmusic%2Fmariah-carey-awkward-interview-good-morning-britain-las-vegas-shooting%2F
Morgan defended the interview and the questioning, tweeting that the show had told “Mariah’s people” before the interview about the subject. “Her reaction seemed very relevant given she’s a performer who often has residence in Vegas,” he said.
Mariah was booked to do an interview about her UK Christmas tour. Obviously news events in Vegas have now taken precedence. https://t.co/3SxHKPXYen
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 2, 2017
We told Mariah's people before the interview.
Her reaction seemed very relevant given she's a performer who often has residence in Vegas. https://t.co/6sVMSUMvHK— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 2, 2017
Carey put out a statement on Twitter following the interview.
“Horrified to hear about the shooting in #LasVegas,” she wrote. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families. Praying for everyone’s safety.”
Horrified to hear about the shooting in #LasVegas. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. Praying for everyone's safety ??
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) October 2, 2017
At least 58 people were killed and more than 500 injured when a shooter fired round after round from a high-rise room at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino down onto a crowded country- music concert. The suspect was identified as a 64-year-old man named Stephen Craig Paddock of Mesquite, Nevada, who was found dead on the 32nd floor of the hotel with a cache of “in excess of 10 rifles,” Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said.