The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame isn’t a sweet, sweet fantasy of Mariah Carey’s.
After TMZ asked the singer if she was upset that she didn’t make the 2026 inductee list, the Grammy winner responded: “No, period.”
“Who cares?” Carey continued. “Give it to someone else. Fantastic.”
Watch full video on TMZ
The superstar added she’s happy that others are being recognized for their talent.
And when it comes to her own cult following, the “Obsessed” crooner noted, “I love my fans always.”
In order to gain eligibility for induction, an artist must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior.
Carey debuted her first album in 1990, making her first eligible for induction back in 2015.
The pop star was also nominated in 2024 and 2025 to no avail.
Carey was nominated for 2026 back in February, alongside Phil Collins, Lauryn Hill, INXS, Iron Maiden, Luther Vandross, Shakira and others.
The hall casts a wide net that includes artists from the rap, metal, hip-hop, R&B, blues rock, pop and Britpop genres.
In total, this year’s list includes 17 performer nominees — with Sade, Pink, Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Buckley, New Edition and the Wu-Tang Clan also earning nods.
“This diverse list of talented nominees recognizes the ever-evolving faces and sounds of Rock & Roll and its continued impact on youth culture,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement at the time.
Earlier this month, Pink and Hill were also shut-out of the induction.
Nominees are voted on by more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals.
The ceremony is set to take place on Nov. 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The show will then air on ABC and Disney+ in December.
Despite not making the cut for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Carey was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020.
She also has numerous accolades, including 19 No. 1 hits and is currently a five-time Grammy winner.
Carey’s holiday tune, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which she released in 1994, annually tops the Billboard Hot 100 charts each and every year.
In January, the Queen of Christmas was MusiCares’ 2026 Person of the Year — and made it clear that through it all, she remains humble.
“I don’t call myself a legend,” Carey admitted to Billboard at the time. “I’m just still working, still trying hard.”
“I’ve always worked really hard,” she noted, “because I knew that I wanted to be here for a long time. The one lesson I’ve learned is to just be true to yourself. And I was fortunate enough to be able to do that. There were some things along the way that weren’t ideal, you know, but here I am.”
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