It's tiiiiiiiiiime! Or is it? Every year, Mariah Carey preps for the holiday season when November hits. She shares a video of her hitting a high note, while singing, "It's time!" as her holiday hit, "All I Want For Christmas is You", begins. The tradition is typically silly and fun. So what's different this year? Well, if you haven't noticed, a lot is different in 2025. And despite always being able to hit said high note, Carey's latest video is totally out of tune.
Carey's latest Christmas season kickoff video has a very different twist than it usually does, and it's inspiring some backlash. Rather than a simple, cheeky music video, this year, Carey's clip is a Sephora ad. In itself, this is a bit strange - but it gets way, way weirder. Carey, dressed in an angel costume, begins the video by saying, "Halloween slayed, but now, it's ti-."
Her usual catchphrase is cut off mid-word by a record-scratch when she sees that some of her Sephora products have been stolen. As it turns out, her elf employee, played by comedian Billy Eichner, robbed her. "The elves are striking this year. Elf revenge for putting us through holiday hell," he says, noting that he's "pawning all of this so I can afford elf therapy". So, in the context of the video, Carey's employee is stealing her makeup to afford healthcare. In the current political climate, this approach definitely inspires a "yikes" or two. And, believe it or not, it gets worse.
In the ad, Mariah Carey's elf employee declares that Christmas is cancelled. Carey notes, "You can't cancel Christmas" before turning the elf into a snowman and launching into her song. The video ends with Carey dropping Sephora bags down chimneys and riding in her sleigh around the Statue of Liberty. As boycotts are being planned for Black Friday and Cyberweek, Carey telling her struggling elf employee that Christmas can't be cancelled feels pointed. And yes - netizens noticed.
"The concept of Mariah Carey turning her 'it's time' video into a corporate ad mocking labor movements and using AI, representing the overall commercialization of the Christmas season," one X user wrote. "That was the ad that Sephora and Mariah Carey decided to go with? In this climate?" asked another. One tweet called the ad "offensive on so many levels someone could write a dissertation on it". Another said it "just made me wanna boycott the holidays even more because what?"
This is a far cry from the feedback Carey's Christmas videos usually get. Money is a huge issue on most Americans' minds and stress is at an all-time high ahead of the holidays. The last thing people need is an anti-boycotting lecture from a big celeb and a massive beauty company. And considering the amount of money Carey makes every Christmas season thanks to that song, she'll probably need some reputation rehab after this latest choice.
(The List)
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