Nick Cannon defends Mariah Carey’s New Year’s Eve mishap

Nick Cannon is the latest person to sound off on Mariah Carey’s New Year’s Eve snafu.

“You know me, I’m a conspiracy theorist,” Cannon, 36, quipped on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” “I think the government did that! They set her up! That was a distraction.”

But Cannon got more serious when he suggested that technology played a bigger role.

“Anyone who knows about performing and having inner-ears, things like that can go wrong on live television,” he added. “I screw up on ‘America’s Got Talent’ all the time. So when there’s people in your ear saying things and stuff, I think she got a little flustered.”

“And like Ryan Seacrest said, she can do no wrong,” Cannon quipped. “So she worked through it.”

A little more than a week after the performance made headlines — and gave way to a flurry of memes — Carey, 46, announced she’s taking a break from the spotlight.

“I’m gonna take a break from media moments, social media moments,” Carey said. “Although I am going to fulfill my professional obligations, this is an important time for me to finally take a moment for myself and to deal with my loved ones and to prepare for my upcoming tour in March … I can’t wait to sing for you again.”