It’s the holiday season, which means it’s Mariah Carey’s time to shine. But unfortunately, not everyone is feeling festive this season.
Shortly after Halloween, Carey dropped her annual “it’s time” video, celebrating the beginning of November and the resurgence of her signature Christmas hit, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” While this has become a beloved tradition among the fans, it seems as though this year’s video missed the mark.
In the video, Carey arrives in a dressing room to find that her Sephora make-up has been stolen. The thief is revealed to be an elf played by Billy Eichner, who said he is pawning her cosmetics “so [he] can afford elf therapy.” Through the power of her inescapable song, Carey turns Eichner into a snowman, saying that he “can’t cancel Christmas.”
Given the timing of the ad — which arrives as several corporations have laid off thousands of employees, on top of an ongoing government shutdown — many found the video inappropriate as families across the country are facing financial strain.
“just watched the mariah carey sephora ad… girl now is not the time to be insensitive what the hell,” wrote one person on X.
Other viewers called upon their followers to reduce their shopping this holiday season. “That Sephora commercial with Mariah Carey where the elf cancels Christmas is so tone deaf. Yall better stay home Black Friday and yall better not be shopping online either,” wrote one person.
One person on Threads called the campaign “disrespectful AF,” saying “let it serve as a reminder of what corporations think of their customers.”
Another person said is marked a very tangible divide between the celebrity and the working class. “Making her 'it's time' announcement into a sephora commercial basically telling the working class that we can't cancel Christmas is INSANE work. The end of celebrity culture has been a sight to see.”
A few people came to Carey’s defense, noting that the spot was likely filmed months ago.
This isn’t the first time Carey has collaborated with brands for her annual Christmas campaign. She’s previously worked with McDonald’s, Kay Jewelers, and Black Irish.
At the time of writing, neither Carey nor Sephora have addressed the backlash.