Mariah Carey is an icon, music legend, and expert meme-maker. The โHeroโ singer was honored on Monday nightโs iHeartRadio Music Awards. Earning the Icon Award, Careyโs 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 โAlways Be My Babyโ and โWe Belong Together.โ But with that came the latest in Careyโs distinguished list of viral moments.
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During Longโs cover of the hit โEmancipation of Mimiโ 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 โlegendaryโ and one that will โgo down in history.โ Of course, many also immediately paired it with that iconic meme of Beyoncรฉ looking shocked at this yearโs Grammy Awards when she won Best Country Album for โCowboy Carter.โโ
โYโall look at Mariahโs reaction while Muni Long was singing a tribute to her. I am hollering,โ one user wrote with crying emojis, inferring that Carey was specifically reacting to the โWe Belong Togetherโ cover. Other fans arenโt buying that, however, with some saying the moment was more about Mariah herself and less about the performers on stage.
โMariah was just trying to make sure her light was right during every tribute cutaway,โ one user wrote. โYou saw how she was turned in that seat. That was her biggest concern not the performances. I love her.โ
This very well could be correct, as Careyโs first statement when she got on stage to accept her award was asking if the lighting was ok. โIs the lighting ok, because I donโt like bad lighting,โ 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. โMariah is so funny without even trying,โ one user wrote with crying emojis, while another posted, โweโll never get another true solidified Diva like Mariah Carey again and that really makes me sad.โ
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