Talent Recap

Mariah Carey is Trending for Saying “I Don’t Like Bad Lighting” at The iHeart Radio Music Awards

Mariah Carey at the 2025 iHeart Radio Music AwardsCR: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup for FOX. ©2025 FOX MEDIA, LLC.

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Mariah Carey has officially taken home the iHeart Radio Icon Award and proven exactly how iconic she is. The well-known singer has become a meme again, and even poked fun at her disliking of certain lighting conditions.


Mariah Carey Wins iHeart Radio Icon Award

On Monday night, Mariah Carey received the Icon Award at the 2025 iHeart Radio Music Awards. The award truly gave Carey the platform to go viral, again.

“Is the lighting OK cause I don’t like bad lighting,” Carey said while taking the stage to accept her award. For those who may not know, Carey is quite the lighting snob, she has spoken in the past about disapproving of overhead lights.

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The singer then joked, asking the audience if they liked her ensemble. She finished the statement off with a twirl, while the audience clapped for her.


“As a kid I used to listen to my favorite artists on the radio and dream of being on the airwaves myself,” Carey said while accepting the award. “Now, for those of you who may not know what airwaves are, think of it as the non-WiFi of streaming.”

Carey continued on, saying that she still gets excited hearing her songs on the radio, “it never stops being magical.”

The singer finished off her acceptance speech by thanking the president of iHeartRadio and her first manager, John Skyes.


“He was my first manager,” she said. “Some people think it was this other guy, but it wasn’t him. It was John.”

Carey Becomes a Meme, Again

Later in the night, there was a tribute for Carey. The Mariah Carey medley was performed by Tori Kelly and Muni Long. During the performance, Long was singing “We Belong Together” and the camera panned to Carey, who was making a facial expression. It’s unknown what Carey was reacting to, but it was quite the reaction.

This reaction has since went viral, becoming the new “unimpressed” gif reaction for many. Are you using this reaction in your text chains? Let us know in the comments below.

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