Mariah Carey returned to Times Square on Sunday to redeem herself after last year’s widely panned performance on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.”
While fans seemed impressed by the star’s return to the stage and her commitment to singing throughout her appearance, they were particularly taken with Carey’s demand for hot tea halfway through her set.
Carey, along with the roughly 1 million individuals who went to Times Square on Sunday night, stood in frigid weather to ring in 2018. Temperatures in New York City hit record lows, hovering around 8 degrees Fahrenheit, which felt like minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit when factoring in windchill.
“They told me there would be tea,” Carey said. “Oh, this is a disaster.”
The icon then seemed to rally, despite the lack of hot liquids, and assured the crowd that she’d go on.
“OK, well we’ll just have to ― I’m just going to be like everybody else with no hot tea. We’re going to try to do this right for you because I just want to show my appreciation for everyone that speaks out for justice and tries to make the world a better place.”
She then started singing her 1993 hit, “Hero.”
Nevertheless, folks on Twitter had fun commenting on the hot tea moment.