Mariah Carey Gives Shoutout to Late Mother While Accepting Icon Award at iHeartRadio Music Awards

At the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday night, the elusive chanteuse stepped out to pick up one of the night’s special trophies — as she was presented with the Icon Award.

The honor is a celebration of her “incredible and influential career as singer, songwriter, and producer, who has broken virtually every chart and touring record around the globe.” In a statement, iHeart called her a “a fiercely independent artist who set the bar for female stars today,” while pointing out 2025 is also the 20th anniversary of The Emancipation of Mimi.

Before Carey was presented the award, some of R&B’s strongest voices helped paid tribute to the singer by covering some of her biggest hits, with Muni Long singing “We Belong Together” and Tori Kelly covering “Always Be My Baby” before she was presented the award by the night’s host, LL Cool J.

During her speech, Carey kicked things off by making a joke about the lighting — something Mimi has become notorious for wanting to have right during her time in the music industry. She also gave the audience a twirl, showing off her black-fitted gown for the iHeartRadio Music Awards crowd and those at home before thanking iHeart for the honor, and Muni and Tori for their moving tributes.

“Thank you iHeart for the honor. Thank you Muni and Tori for these beautiful performances, and LL, thank you for those kind words,” Carey began. “As a kid, I used to listen to my favorite artists on the radio, and dream of being on the airwaves myself. For those of you who may not know what airwaves are, thinking of it as the non-WiFi version of streaming.”

She continued, “Even now, I still get excited when I hear one of my songs playing on the radio. It never stops being magical. I want to thank John Sykes, the President of iHeartRadio, and my first manager by the way … some people think it was this other guy, but it wasn’t him, it was John — for believing in me from the start. And to Tom, Bob, all the local and national program directors, DJs and even the interns who made sure I saw friendly faces when I showed up at the stations at 7 a.m. Not exactly my ideal wakeup time. I appreciate you all more than you know.”

Carey also thanked her fans, also known as The Lambs.

“And to my fans, my lambily, you’ve been with me through every step of this journey,” Carey gushed. “Your love and loyalty are the greatest gift, and I’m endlessly thank you for each one of you.”

Carey, who boasts both African American and Irish ancestry noted that receiving the award on St. Patrick’s Day was extra special, as she took a moment to shoutout her late mother, Patricia Carey, who died in August 2024, for giving her “the gift of music.”

“Thank you so much. Love you, love you, love you,” she said before making her way off the stage.

Carey joins a star-studded list of recipients, including Cher, Elton John and Bon Jovi.