Mariah Carey Responds to 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Exclusion

Give it to someone else. Carey released her debut album in 1990, making her first eligible in 2015. She was nominated in 2024 and 2025 but was not inducted those years. For 2026, Carey was nominated in February alongside artists including Phil Collins, Lauryn Hill, INXS, Iron Maiden, Luther Vandross, and Shakira.

The 2026 nominees also included Sade, Pink, Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Buckley, New Edition, and the Wu-Tang Clan, representing genres such as rap, metal, hip-hop, R&B, blues rock, pop, and Britpop. John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, stated in February that the list recognizes the evolving faces and sounds of rock & roll and its impact on youth culture.

Nominees are voted on by more than 1,200 artists, historians, and music industry professionals. The induction ceremony is scheduled for November 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with airing on ABC and Disney+ in December.

Other Achievements Carey was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. In January 2026, she was named MusiCares’ Person of the Year. Carey has 19 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and is a five-time Grammy winner. Her 1994 song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" tops the Billboard Hot 100 annually during the holiday season.

In a January 2026 interview with Billboard, Carey stated, "I don’t call myself a legend. " She added that she has always worked hard to sustain her career and learned to be true to herself despite challenges.