While Mariah's World viewers are used to the singer showcasing a lifestyle of wealth and excess on the show, the explicit 'You're poor and I'm not' message of the tweet didn't go down too well. Many blamed Carey's tough-as-nails manager, Stella Bulochnikov, for the gaffe.
While the tweet was likely issued by someone from E!'S social media team as opposed to Carey's camp, it's probably good timing that Carey's decided to take a social media break following her disastrous New Year's Eve performance.
In a muffled recorded voice message posted to Twitter, the 46-year-old diva offered an explanation for the performance, which saw a mostly mute Carey seemingly unable to hear her own backing track.
"I haven't really addressed the situation that happened on New Year's Eve and, in time, I will, but for now, I want everyone to know that I came to New Year's Eve in New York in great spirits and was looking forward to a celebratory moment with the world," she said.
"It's a shame that we were put into the hands of a production team with technical issues who chose to capitalise on circumstances beyond our control," she continued.
"It's not practical for a singer to sing live and be able to hear themselves properly in the middle of Times Square with all the noise, the freezing cold, the smoke from the smoke machines, thousands of people celebrating - especially when their ear monitors were not working at all. Listen, guys - they foiled me. Thus, it turned into an opportunity to humiliate me and all those who were excited to ring in the new year with me," she said, before announcing her social media break.
"I'm going to take a break from media moments, social media moments. Although I am going to fulfil my professional obligations, this is an important time for me to finally take a moment for myself and to be with my loved ones and prepare for my upcoming tour in March."
Carey will join forces with crooner Lionel Richie in March for a full US tour. Mariah's World is set to end its eight-episode run later this month.
