Electra told EW about her relationship with the iconic musician ahead of her cameo in “Scary Movie,” which marks her third appearance in the horror parody franchise.

Carmen Electra reveals why she loves the Prince diss track that ‘everyone knows is written about me’

Electra told EW about her relationship with the iconic musician ahead of her cameo in "Scary Movie," which marks her third appearance in the horror parody franchise.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

EW's editorial guidelines

June 19, 2026 8:30 a.m. ET

Prince in 2011; Carmen Electra in 2026. Credit:

Lester Cohen/WireImage; Jesse Grant/Getty

- Carmen Electra looks back on her relationship with Prince fondly — even the diss track she says "everyone knows is written about me."

- Electra told EW about the song, 1995's "I Hate U," in a conversation ahead of her return to the *Scary Movie* franchise.

- "I actually have always loved that song because he's really saying, 'I love you,'" she explained. "It just is so deep to me."

If you ask Carmen Electra, nothing compares to Prince.

The *Playboy *icon and actress recently spoke to * *ahead of her cameo in *Scary Movie*, which marks her third appearance in the beloved horror parody franchise. But she had to take a moment to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passing of her former flame and musical collaborator.

"I came out here when I was 18, just looking to try to figure out what my career would be. I ended up getting a record deal with Prince, moved to Minnesota and lived there for a couple years, and then moved back to L.A.," she says. Though her relationship with the music icon — and her own foray into pop stardom — proved short-lived, she still looks back fondly on their time together.

Even on the diss track that Prince released shortly after their relationship fizzled out, which Electra claims "everyone knows is written about me."

Prince performs in the U.K. in 2011.

Neil Lupin/Redferns

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

"I remember all the good times, you know, We went through definitely some hard times together, but now I hear all the music, even the song that was written about me that everyone knows is written about me, called 'I Hate U.' Everyone knows it," she says.

Born Tara Leigh Patrick, Electra was given her stage name by Prince for the recording of her self-titled debut album, which was released in 1993. The album was executive produced by Prince, released on his label, Paisley Park, and the song "All That" even samples Prince's 1987 "Adore."

By 1995, Electra and the artist born Prince Rogers Nelson were no more, and Electra claims that he poured out his feelings about her in that year's "I Hate U," sometimes stylized "Eye Hate U," the lead single from his 17th studio album, *The Gold Experience*.

Carmen Electra breaks down her 'whirlwind' return to 'Scary Movie' for a surprise cameo

On the 10th anniversary of Prince's death, his ex-wife recalls hearing the news

"I actually have always loved that song because he's really saying, 'I love you. That's why I hate you. I hate you so I love you.' You know what I mean? It just is so deep to me, because I think it's probably the first time he publicly said 'I love you' to me," Electra shares. "He kind of hid me a lot because he didn't want people to think we were dating and that's how I got my record deal. So I was kind of kept a little bit more away. That's why you don't see a lot of pictures of us together."

Electra says that in reality, she and Prince were "very in love with each other, but he didn't want people to think I got the record deal because we were dating. And because when I met him, I wouldn't date him. He wanted to date me and I'm like, 'No.' I just wasn't interested. I only wanted to work and that's why I was there, to work. Eventually, I saw through everything and fell deeply in love with him. You know, he's writing music for me, writing songs about me that were really sweet and beautiful. He was very romantic."

Carmen Electra in Los Angeles in 1993.

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

"I Hate U" begins with a spoken word section performed by Rain Ivana in the style of an answering machine message. "You have just accessed the Hate Experience / Do you wish to change your entry? / Very well, please enjoy your experience," Ivana intones.

Prince then sings about how he "never thought that you would be the one," about being burned after "you gave your body to another in the name of fun," and being "so sad, but I hate you like a day without sunshine."

Electra shared more memories of the song with *GQ* in 2016, a few months after the musician's death at 57.

"I was too young to really communicate with him, so I just kind of pulled away. And during that time I went out with a guy—I hadn't slept with this person—and Prince found out," she remembered. "He said, 'I wrote this song about you,' and then he played 'I Hate U.'"

- Celebrities & Creators

- Celebrity Dating & Relationships

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Celebrity”