Mariah Carey sparks health concerns as she struggles to walk during 2025 MTV VMAs performance

ELMONT, NEW YORK: Mariah Carey had fans clutching their pearls at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards when she appeared stiff and uneasy on stage.

The 56-year-old diva performed a medley of her greatest hits before receiving the coveted Video Vanguard Award. However, she barely moved during her set, and when she did shuffle across the stage, viewers noticed she seemed unsteady. Still, while her body looked fragile, her vocals were as flawless as ever.

Fans freak out on social media

Observers on social media wasted no time sounding the alarm during the September 7 ceremony.

“Mariah Carey is looking like it’s super painful for her to walk and move??? Is she okay?” one worried fan posted.

“Is Mariah Carey ok? Is she having a stroke on stage??” another asked.

“Why doesn’t Mariah Carey’s body move when she performs?” a third questioned.

“Mariah Carey can’t even move. Did they put Botox all over her body?” someone else wrote.

“Everybody making jokes, but frfr is Mariah Carey okay!? The slow movement, the constant lack of discernment, and disconnect with reality when she speaks. It slightly gives Dementia #VMAS," a comment read.

Of course, some defended her. “My girl doesn’t even try anymore, and I’m okay with that. She is the Mariah Carey," one fan offered.

After the performance, self-proclaimed Carey superfan Ariana Grande handed her idol her first-ever Moon Man trophy.

“I can't believe I'm getting my first VMA tonight, and I just have one question. What in the sam hell were you waiting for?” Carey quipped, calling out MTV for dragging its feet on honoring her.

It was a milestone moment for the icon, who shot to stardom in 1990 with 'Vision of Love' and has dominated pop culture for 35 years with hits, scandals, and everything in between.  

Mariah Carey’s past health struggles

This isn’t the first time fans have worried about the songstress. Back in 2001, Carey suffered a public breakdown that ultimately led to her bipolar disorder diagnosis, something she kept private until a 2018 tell-all.

“I didn’t want to believe it,” she admitted at the time. “Until recently, I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me. It was too heavy a burden to carry, and I simply couldn’t do that anymore. I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me, and I got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music."

“I’m just in a really good place right now, where I’m comfortable discussing my struggles with bipolar II disorder,” Carey told fans. “I’m hopeful we can get to a place where the stigma is lifted from people going through anything alone," Carey noted. "It can be incredibly isolating. It does not have to define you, and I refuse to allow it to define me or control me.”

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