Mariah Carey at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music AwardsFox

Mariah Carey received the Icon Award at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, giving fans a classical Mariah Carey moment.

When the star took the stage at the Dolby Theater to accept her award and deliver her speech, she was quick to jokingly call out the lighting at the venue.

“Is the lighting OK cause I don’t like bad lighting,” Carey asked, giving production time to get it together.

Carey then asked the audience if they liked her ensemble and twirled for everyone in the theater as they cheered 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. “Now, for those of you who may not know what airwaves are, think of it as the non-WiFi of streaming.”

She added, “Even now I still get excited when I hear one of my songs playing on the radio. It never stops being magical.”

During her acceptance speech, Carey also hinted at her ex-husband, Tommy Mottola, after thanking the president of iHeartRadio, John Sykes, her first manager.

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

During the tribute for Carey, Tori Kelly and Muni Long performed some of her career hits. During Long’s performance of “We Belong Together,” the camera caught Carey making a facial expression. Although it’s unclear what exactly Carey was reacting to, the moment went viral, unlocking a new reaction meme.