In the early 2000s, Mariah Carey had a reputation for putting inappropriate interviewers in their place. One time, she called out Robin Quivers for enabling "lewd" comments made by Howard Stern. It didn't stop the self-proclaimed King of All Media from flirting with her but it surely sent a message.

Carey even dissed Wendy Williams' plastic surgery after the Hot Topic Queen accused her of getting "luxurious" cosmetic enhancements, including a boob job. But in December 2001, the six-time Grammy winner put on a more subtle performance in handling David Letterman's intrusive questions about her then-recent "nervous breakdown."

Fans slammed the Late Night host for reducing Carey's achievements to her "overblown" mental health struggle. At that time, the Obsessed hitmaker had just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which she didn't reveal until 2018. Here's how Letterman "traumatized" Carey "for laughs" during their "graceful" interview.

David Letterman "Traumatized" Mariah Carey By Joking About Her 2001 Mental Breakdown

Two minutes into their conversation, Letterman asked Carey about her "summer" – the time she was placed "under psychiatric care" after an "emotional and physical breakdown," per reports back then. The Hero songstress said the news about that period were "overly sensationalized over and over again."

She explained that she'd been "a workaholic my whole life" and her "schedule this past summer was like beyond ridiculous." She added that it's what led to her hospitalization. "You know one day in one country, the next day back here promoting all over the place. I was totally sleep-deprived and I was exhausted."

Even after the Breakdown singer clarified that she only suffered from "exhaustion," Letterman kept asking whether she had an "emotional breakdown," a "physical breakdown," or a "nervous breakdown." Carey calmly reiterated that the tabloids only exaggerated the whole story. Fans later slammed the host for focusing on the sensitive topic while his guest handled everything with "grace" and "poise."

"Even if she did have a mental breakdown around 2001, who cares? She had worked for like 15 years+ by then so she deserved a break by then!" Someone wrote in the YouTube comments. Another one asked: "Why are his comments like little jabs toward her. She handles these 'jokes' well."

A netizen went on to claim that "these male hosts used to just traumatize women for laughs," with another one commending Carey for keeping herself composed. "I know show hosts are supposed to lead the conversation but his style of interrupting and asking several questions in a row in combination with his jittery energy is uncomfortable to watch for me. Good job, Mimi," a fan wrote.

Mariah Carey Was "In Denial" About Her 2001 Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis

via: Instar

In 2018, Carey finally opened up about being diagnosed with bipolar II disorder in 2001. "Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me," she said of keeping it a secret for 17 years. "It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore."

She continued: "I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music." the Queen of Christmas also shared that she was "taking medication" and going to therapy. "I'm actually taking medication that seems to be pretty good," she said in her People cover at that time.

"It's not making me feel too tired or sluggish or anything like that. Finding the proper balance is what is most important," Carey said of her treatment. She also thought she had sleep issues when what she had was actually "fear" of disappointing people. "For a long time I thought I had a severe sleep disorder," she added. "But it wasn't normal insomnia and I wasn't lying awake counting sheep."

The R&B artist explained: "Eventually I would just hit a wall. I guess my depressive episodes were characterized by having very low energy. I would feel so lonely and sad — even guilty that I wasn't doing what I needed to be doing for my career." On deciding to publicly talk about her condition, Carey said she was just "in a really good place right now" and "comfortable" discussing it. Here's how the music icon made her major comeback in 2018:

Mariah Carey's Album 'Glitter' Flopped The Year She Had A Mental Breakdown

via: Instar

In 2001, Carey was also dealing with her flop album and movie, Glitter. She blamed it on the timing of its release, which was around the 9/11 attacks. Coincidentally, fans gained a newfound appreciation for the record the same year the former American Idol judge disclosed her challenges in making it.

Carey said that recording the movie's soundtrack "almost ruined" her life. It's why she "never [performs] those songs" anymore. Talking about the #JusticeForGlitter campaign in 2018, she thanked her fans (the Lambily/Lambs), saying: "That's the Lambs, that's the Lambily, those are my fans – they had this movement, it was called hashtag Justice for Glitter."