Mariah Carey is an icon, music legend, and expert meme-maker. The “Hero” singer was honored on Monday night’s iHeartRadio Music Awards. Earning the Icon Award, Carey’s incomparable career and legacy were celebrated, with stars like Tori Kelly and Muni Long taking to the stage to perform some of her greatest hits, like “Always Be My Baby” and “We Belong Together.” But with that came the latest in Carey’s distinguished list of viral moments.
During Long’s cover of the hit “Emancipation of Mimi” single, the camera panned over to Carey in the audience, catching the singer slowly turning her head, looking not-so-amused at the performances before her. And just like that, another meme from the diva was born. Immediately, folks on social media sites started posting about the moment, making gifs, clips, and memes surrounding it in record speed.
Fans were quick to call the moment “legendary” and one that will “go down in history.” Of course, many also immediately paired it with that iconic meme of Beyoncé looking shocked at this year’s Grammy Awards when she won Best Country Album for “Cowboy Carter.”’
“Y’all look at Mariah’s reaction while Muni Long was singing a tribute to her. I am hollering,” one user wrote with crying emojis, inferring that Carey was specifically reacting to the “We Belong Together” cover. Other fans aren’t buying that, however, with some saying the moment was more about Mariah herself and less about the performers on stage.
“Mariah was just trying to make sure her light was right during every tribute cutaway,” one user wrote. “You saw how she was turned in that seat. That was her biggest concern not the performances. I love her.”
This very well could be correct, as Carey’s first statement when she got on stage to accept her award was asking if the lighting was ok. “Is the lighting ok, because I don’t like bad lighting,” she asked the audience while accepting her award from LL Cool J. She also specifically took the time to shoutout both Kelly and Long after their performances, which contradicts the idea that she did not enjoy the performances.
For most fans, however, they are just delighted to be getting anything from Carey, who now feels like a diva from an era long gone by. “Mariah is so funny without even trying,” one user wrote with crying emojis, while another posted, “we’ll never get another true solidified Diva like Mariah Carey again and that really makes me sad.”