Mariah Carey announced as first leading performer for the 2026 Olympics
The 'All I Want For Christmas is You' hitmaker says she's 'taking back the torch' as she achieves another milestone
December 16, 2025
Mariah Carey is officially heading to the Olympics.
The Grammy-winning icon has been announced as the first leading performer for the 2026 Winter Games Opening Ceremony, a reveal that arrived alongside another major milestone. Just hours later, Carey’s holiday hit All I Want for Christmas Is You made Billboard history.
The Olympics confirmed on Monday, December 15, that Carey will perform during the Opening Ceremony on February 6 at the Milano Cortina Games. Teasing the moment, the official Olympics Instagram account described the appearance as “a performance set to define an unforgettable Opening Ceremony performance.”
Carey subtly nodded to the announcement while celebrating her latest chart triumph hours later. All I Want for Christmas Is You reached a record-breaking 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, dated December 20. Marking the achievement, Carey shared a festive Instagram post.
“Humbly taking back the torch!! 20 weeks at #1. I’m so grateful,” she wrote alongside a red heart emoji.
In the accompanying photo, Carey posed in a sparkly red bodysuit trimmed with white fur, holding a golden flaming torch in front of a Christmas tree. The prop appeared to double as a wink to her newly announced Olympic role.
Originally released in 1994, All I Want for Christmas Is You has become a perennial chart force. The latest return to No. 1 gives Carey her second Hot 100 longevity record. She first claimed that title in 1996 when her Boyz II Men collaboration One Sweet Day spent 16 weeks atop the chart.
The Christmas anthem now stands alone with the most weeks at No. 1, surpassing Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’ Old Town Road, which held the record at 19 weeks in 2019 and was later tied by Shaboozey’s Tipsy (A Bar Song) in 2024.
