Mariah Carey Really Didn’t Know Her

October 2, 2025
4:52 pm

Christmas, whistle notes, and not knowing Jennifer Lopez … Mariah Carey’s brand is nothing if not consistent. She “was being honest” when she was asked about J.Lo in a 2003 interview and replied, “I don’t know her.” When Andy Cohen questioned her on the October 1 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Carey framed it as a victory for truth: “I was being honest when I said it. So I don’t know how it became so big. Honesty isn’t really something that becomes big — most of the time.”

This is certainly not Carey’s first time speaking about this viral moment; it has happened enough times over the years that fans have had enough fodder to make “I don’t know her” compilations on YouTube. Even Lopez herself has weighed in, telling Wendy Williams in 2016 that she and Carey have, in fact, met “many times” and quipping that the singer must be “forgetful.” Later that year, Carey clarified to Cohen that meeting someone is not the same as knowing someone. “It wasn’t like I don’t know who she is — of course I do. That’s not the question,” she said, noting that she doesn’t mean any “offense” but feels no need to pretend to be best friends with anyone just because they’re also in Hollywood. So more than two decades later, does Carey finally know her? (Hey, the Bennifer engagement, marriage, and divorce is proof that Lopez’s relationship with somebody can evolve over time.) “How can I suddenly know?” Carey maintains. “You know?” Guess she won’t be going to see Kiss of the Spider Woman.