Mariah Carey's Quintessential Diva Moments

Image via Complex Original

When: Sept. 1998

No shade, but this moment between Mariah and Whitney Houston is better than the song they were promoting at the time. It’s truly sad we lost Whitney so early. The world deserved a sitcom and/or reality show centered on Mariah and Whitney just sitting down and talking about people.

When: Dec. 1999

In 1999, Billboard named Mariah Carey its artist of the decade. Because it was such a festive moment, Mariah accepted her award as only she would—by canvassing the crowd of adoring fans who made her a fortune. It’s basically her version of Simba from The Lion King after he defeated Scar and became the rightful king. 

When: 2002

Where do I begin on trying to explain such a pivotal moment in modern history? During MTV's tour of Mariah's luxurious and extremely spacious penthouse in New York City, she treats viewers to sights like working out on a treadmill while wearing stilettos; watching her assistant change her ensemble while she gives a tour of the crib; not showing parts of her Tribeca penthouse that she felt were too good for the eyes of the general public; jumping into a bathtub she likely never uses while the cameras are rolling.

When: Early 2000s

Mariah is responsible for one of the most popular Internet memes ever, thanks to a random interview with a European TV outlet. It all started well over a decade ago when Mimi was asked about Beyoncé, whom received a glowing review from the legendary singer-songwriter. And then the correspondent asked about  Jennifer Lopez, who Maria—well, you know.

When: January 2010

By the time Mariah accepted her award for her role in Precious at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, she was clearly intoxicated. Mariah drunk is everything you already love about Mariah squared and with a slur. During this moment, she explained how she came to discover the book the movie was based on, how she connected to the material, and how she became part of the cast. Again, while drunk. Please take me to happy hour, Mimi.

When: January 2013

Mariah Carey truly cares about her angles. Those of us who are bae but sometimes struggle with properly capturing that baeness on camera understand the situation. And so, while Mariah is promoting American Idol, she very visibly becomes consumed with trying to figure out her BEST angle for the camera. Literally nothing else matters until that is nailed down. Who’s mad?

When: Dec. 2013

Technically, this is Mariah Carey inviting my favorite wine-drinking talk-show hosts, Kathie Lee and Hoda, over to her house for a holiday moment. But watching it, nothing is that clear. For one, Mariah is dressed like she’s heading to receive a lifetime achievement award from Jesus. Two, Santa Claus. Three, Kathie Lee Gifford wipes down Mariah’s breasts to avoid some kind of stain situation. Mimi also begins singing. But she also remembers to thoughtfully ask if anyone is lactose intolerant before serving drinks.

When: Feb. 2014

When Mariah agreed to do an interview with Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, she did not agree to their studio’s unfavorable lighting system. So, she had her people come in and make the room’s lightning more favorable to all, but especially more favorable to Mariah. Legend has it that Mimi will have people come into office spaces she’s set to meet in beforehand to fix the lightning. Why? Because she’s Mariah fucking Carey and she can do whatever she wants. She will not wait for Snapchat filters because she is a walking Snapchat filter.

When: Feb. 2016

I don’t know about you, but sometimes walking feels like an oppressive task that no decent human being deserves.

When: May 2016

One can’t tell if Mariah was high off Pinot grigio or simply high off her own natural supply, but when she met up with members of the paparazzi, she quickly took command of the moment. First, she told one cameraman to “delete that shit and give me something new.” And when asked who would be qualified to perform at her looming nuptials to fiancé​ Australian billionaire James Packer, she answered, “Fucking nobody.” She meant that.

When: May 2016

How does Mariah accept an award at an LGBTQ organization’s award show? She puts her songwriting skills to work and come up with a remix to the LGBTQ acronym. She also mentions how her son talks about boobies and butts. Still unclear how that applies, but it works for her.

When: May 2016

When asked about her reported rift with Mariah Carey during an interview with Wendy Williams, Jennifer Lopez said that perhaps Mariah is “forgetful,” given that they’ve met before. However, when asked about that interview and the infamous “I don’t know her” line on Watch What Happens Live, Mariah added some context...

When: July 2016

Now that it’s clear that Mariah doesn’t know J. Lo, she’s having fun with it. Here, she poses with a fan who repeats the line, thus extending the shade that’s been hanging around for more than 10 years now. Note that Mariah Carey has never publicly said Jennifer Lopez’s name. Not a single time. If that ain’t a diva, I don’t know what is.

When: Her entire life

Mariah is by far one of the shadiest recording artists, period. That is a compliment, naturally. One fine human being took the time to package all of her famous reads from the past two decades. One of my personal favorite shady Mimi moments is her read of Madonna.