MILAN, Feb 8 — Mariah Carey lit up the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony with a soaring Italian classic and one of her own power anthems — and now she’s lighting up social media with a different kind of buzz.
The pop icon stunned the crowd as she delivered Nel Blu, dipinto di Blu in Italian before shifting into her feel-good track Nothing Is Impossible.
But within minutes, fans online began dissecting clips and claiming her lip movements didn’t always match the audio. And yes — the organisers have heard the chatter.
According to The Guardian, when director Maria Laura Iascone was asked point-blank whether Carey lip-synced, she acknowledged that a pre-recording existed but refused to say more.
“During all the ceremonies, in order to be on the safe side, we always record,” she said, calling it standard practice for major televised events.
Still, Iascone insisted Carey delivered where it counted.
“Yesterday’s performance was really extraordinary,” she said.
“It was fantastic for everybody and we are all satisfied by the results we had. And the images can prove it to you all, because there was magic.”
And here’s another twist: Carey wasn’t paid for the appearance. Iascone emphasised that all artists performed under that condition.
“We believe that Mariah Carey was exceptional,” she added.
“We were really honoured to have her with us… And she also sang an Italian song, which people in the stadium felt deeply about.”
A Milan-Cortina spokesperson later told The Guardian that certain elements of the ceremony were indeed pre-recorded “to ensure accurate timing, sound quality and a seamless broadcast,” citing the massive scale — over 1,300 performers, more than 500 musicians, and about 700 hours of rehearsals.
In short: this wasn’t your average concert.
