Tommy Mottola flashes an odd smile on ‘The Today Show’.

Forget about Jay-Z and Beyonce, a true power couple that once dominated the industry was Mariah Carey and her ex-husband, former Sony Music Entertainment chief Tommy Mottola. Indeed, although their time together has long since passed, the public fascination with the duo remains and Mottola enjoyed that attention on The Today Show.

Mottola has penned a new book entitled Hitmaker: The Man and His Music, and he visited the Today Show this morning to plug the piece. Of course, host Matt Lauer got straight to the meat of the book and asked his guest to explain his approach to mentoring Carey, who has repeatedly referred to Mottola as controlling and obsessive.

Yet, despite his bitter divorce from Carey and accusations that he attempted to sabotage her career, Mottola actually praised the diva and noted that she is one of the most talented singer-songwriters that the industry has ever seen. He also stressed that her success has been undeniable, although he repeatedly took credit for most of it.

Other topics on the agenda for Mottola involved his working relationship with the late Michael Jackson, who once stated that Mottola was a “devil” who drove Carey to tears, and Beyonce’s lip-syncing scandal at the inauguration of US President Barack Obama. Watch his full Today Show spot below:

Thoughts?