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Mariah Carey accused of ‘ruining the Winter Olympics’ after opening ceremony performance

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Saturday, February 7, 2026

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Mariah opened the Winter Olympics in Milan (Picture: EPA) Mariah Carey has come under fire after an underwhelming performance at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. The 55-year-old singer wore a silver dress and sang a version of Domenico Modugno’s popular 1950s classic ‘Nel blu, dip...

epa12709966 US recording artist Mariah Carey performs during the Opening Ceremony at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, 06 February 2026. EPA/PETER KNEFFEL / POOL
Mariah opened the Winter Olympics in Milan (Picture: EPA)

Mariah Carey has come under fire after an underwhelming performance at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

The 55-year-old singer wore a silver dress and sang a version of Domenico Modugno’s popular 1950s classic ‘Nel blu, dipinto di blu’, also known as ‘Volare’.

Sadly, despite the glitz and glamour of her performance, viewers were unimpressed with her singing.

Fans complained she was lip-syncing and one went so far as to claim she had spoiled the whole games.

‘Mariah Carey has just ruined the Winter Olympics for everyone,’ wrote @DFranciscoReal on X.

‘Countless great Italian singers and we get Mariah Carey singing in the worst Italian I’ve ever heard on a national stage,’ added @arcanedonovan.

epa12709968 US recording artist Mariah Carey performs during the Opening Ceremony at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, 06 February 2026. EPA/PETER KNEFFEL / POOL
Fans weren’t pleased with her ‘stiff’ performance. (Picture: EPA)

While @DoronTam asked: ‘Why would they bring Mariah Carey out to stand there and lip-synch while staring out into space bored out of her mind??’

It wasn’t just X where people criticised Mariah.

On Reddit, one user complained, ‘[Mariah] was stiff as a board, it was insane. It could’ve been a Mariah cardboard cutout, and I wouldn’t have noticed a difference’.

Others, meanwhile, questioned why they chose an American singer to open the games in Italy.

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 6: Mariah Carey performs during the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at San Siro Stadium on February 6, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Others wondered why they didn’t get an Italian performer (Picture: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

‘Love Mariah but thought it was odd that they didn’t feature Italian singers,’ wrote kitcassidy. ‘Andrea Bocelli coming out near the end—and not as the finale—was an odd choice too.’

Still, Mariah had her fair share of supporters online as well.

‘You did a great job,’ wrote @jeffsheehan. ‘The original Volare song, recorded by Domenico Modugno, was an integral part of my life as a young child. It’s nice to see it resurrected on the world stage after so many years’.

‘There really is no one better at not actually signing live any more than Mariah Carey,’ claimed @IAmMapes.

Mariah wasn’t the only singer to perform last night. Andrea Bocelli treated everyone to his version of Nessun Dorma while the Chinese pianist Lang Lang performed the Olympic Anthem.

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