Mariah Carey was hit with backlash for her performance of an Italian classic at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony as she kicked off the sporting event
Mariah Carey was criticized for her performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Viewers tuning in to the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday gave claimed that Mariah Carey “ruined” the event with her singing performance.
The Olympics is taking place in the iconic 76,000-capacity San Siro stadium, which is shared by both Inter Milan and AC Milan football teams as their home ground. This stadium has often been called the La Scala of Football, a reference to Milan’s incredibly famous opera house and the venue’s reputation for hosting top-tier soccer matches.
Mariah, 56, embraced the Italian culture as she performed a version of Domenico Modugno’s popular 1950s classic Nel blu, dipinto di blu, which is better known as Volare. But after the performance, the legendary pop singer was hit with a string of hate online accusing her of “ruining” the event and of lip-syncing throughout the show.
On X, one viewer wrote, “Mariah Carey so obviously lip syncing. Wasn’t tryna hide it a single bit. Ruined what has been a decent opening ceremony thus far.”
Another critic added, “Mariah Carey is performing like Frankie Valli. Lip syncing and stiff.”
And a third asked, “if you pay a singer like Mariah Carey to mime you are essentially just paying for their face and presence, right?”
Mariah was accused of lip syncing(Image: Getty Images)
Someone else chimed in, “Great opening so far! But what’s wrong with Mariah Carey?! Very bad lip syncing there!”
While another unsatisfied viewer posted, “Witnessing Mariah Carey at the #Olympics2026 Opening Ceremony… She looked as bored as us watching her doing some terrible lip syncing OMG, was she reading off a teleprompter??? Just so bad. #Olympics2026.”
For the performance, Mariah was seen wearing a angelic white sparkling gown complete with a dramatic fluffy cape draped around her. The 56-year-old singer looked stunning as she was seen with her long caramel locks in waves and accessorized the glamorous look with eye-catching diamond jewels.
Mariah wore a sparkling white gown(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The opening ceremony has been brought together with the help of 3500 athletes, over 1300 performers, with 182 original designs, over 1,400 costumes and 1,500 pairs of shoes, 110 make-up artists and 70 hair stylists all working super hard behind the scenes to make everything run smoothly while looking fabulous.
While the opening ceremony took place on Friday, preliminary heats for curling, luge, snowboarding, alpine skiing and women’s hockey began earlier in the week.
The creator of the opening ceremony, Marco Balich, confirmed in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera last week that his preliminary theme for the event was putting on a show to celebrate the best of “Made in Italy” and emphasizing “simplicity and authenticity.”
Mariah sang the Italian classic Volare(Image: Getty Images)
He also shared that the two cauldrons holding the Olympic flame one at the Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) in Milan and one at Cortina d’Ampezzo’s main square, which were lit during the opening ceremony, are a tribute to Leonardo da Vinci, who created iconic artwork such as The Last Supper whilst living in the city.
He said, “It’s my tribute to the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci, who was Milanese by adoption. There are also tributes to Bruno Munari and Giorgio Armani, who are also perfect examples of Made in Italy and of a thoroughly Ambrosian spirit that over time has transformed Milan into what is in all respects, a great Milan,” referring to Milan’s patron saint, Saint Ambrose.
