Mariah Carey’s got her second chance at performing during “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” after totally bombing last year, but she didn’t just slay her performances — she became an internet sensation in the process, and it was all thanks to her love of tea.
At Sunday evening’s event, after she had finished performing her first song, Carey noticed that there was no tea on hand to warm her up in the tundra-esque New York climate.
“I was told there would be tea. Oh, it’s a disaster!” she told the audience. “Okay, well we’ll just have to rough it. I’m gonna be like everybody else with no hot tea.”
Mariah Carey asking for hot tea during her NYE performance pic.twitter.com/IHOxdCoIke
— mariah carey archive (@mariaharchive) January 1, 2018
Given Mariah’s diva reputation, the request was actually fairly mundane. But the good folks on Twitter still lost their damn minds:
Last Line of 2017:
“They told me there’d be hot tea.”
— Mariah Carey
— Gabe Erwin (@gabe) January 1, 2018
Compared to last year’s disaster, Mariah Carey did a good job tonight. now someone get her some hot tea! ☕️ #NewYearsEve2017
— Kim Pike (@KimDPike) January 1, 2018
I was obsessed with Mariah Carey at 8 years old. 23 years later and I’m still living for her. Who demands hot tea on live television during a performance?! #MARIAH #RockinEve pic.twitter.com/rkEVDyLcKV
— Sharon Tharp (@sharontharp) January 1, 2018
Props to @MariahCarey! Cold, very dry air = tough conditions for vocalists. Serve that tea, honey. #MariahCarey
— Michelle Deal (@MichelleDealZim) January 1, 2018
Mariah Carey singing on… without her hot tea. Guys it’s ridiculous cold out. I can’t hardly talk when it’s that cold let alone sing. So @MariahCarey ??
— Eva Pilgrim (@EvaPilgrim) January 1, 2018
The first time life throws you a curve in 2018 just remember: Mariah Carey made it through without her hot tea. You can make it through too.
— Jason Pederson (@KATVJason) January 1, 2018
I'm just low key dying at my desk (yes, I'm at work) and @Pret wasn't open when I walked by. This must be what Mariah Carey felt like with no hot tea. #HappyNewYear
— Jo-Anne Rowney (@JoAnne_Rowney) January 1, 2018
But of course, Mariah always gets her own way, and in the end, she found her tea.
Found my tea! ? pic.twitter.com/r5EIIbT5Zw
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) January 1, 2018
The pop icon announced the news that she would be performing at the televised celebration in a joint statement with Dick Clark Productions, saying, “We can all agree that last year didn’t go exactly as planned and we are thrilled to move forward together to provide America with an incredible night of music and celebration on ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018.’ See you in Times Square!”
In a public spat, the singer blamed her disastrous performance last year on ear piece issues and later accused the production company of purposely attempting to sabotage her. Dick Clark Productions denied involvement in Carey’s meltdown in a statement:
In very rare instances there are of course technical errors that can occur with live television, however, an initial investigation has indicated that Dick Clark Productions had no involvement in the challenges associated with Ms. Carey’s ‘New Year’s Eve’ performance. We want to be clear that we have the utmost respect for Ms. Carey as an artist and acknowledge her tremendous accomplishments in the industry.
“It is difficult to perform in Times Square,” Seacrest followed up on his On Air With Ryan Seacrest radio show in January, “[Carey] knows what Times Square is about. It’s complicated. Imagine every single TV outlet in the world was there. So, there’s all kinds of technical things going on.”
