CNN anchor Anderson Cooper abruptly tuned in after Kaitlan Collins slipped a Mariah Carey reference into the network’s midterm election coverage.
The amusing exchange took place during CNN’s live results broadcast on Tuesday night, when Collins was discussing the New Hampshire Senate race with fellow anchor Jake Tapper.
As votes continued to be counted, Collins highlighted a series of campaign advertisements released by former Republican senator John Sununu. In the ads, Sununu appeared eager to distance himself from Donald Trump, despite receiving the president’s endorsement.
In one advertisement released several weeks earlier, Sununu looked into the camera and told voters: “I’ve never even met the man!”
Collins smiled while comparing Sununu’s strategy with Mariah Carey’s infamous 2003 interview, during which the singer appeared to deny knowing Jennifer Lopez.
That clip later became a lasting internet meme, showing Carey smiling awkwardly and shaking her head while mouthing the words: “I don’t know her.”
The reference appeared to pass unnoticed by Tapper, but Cooper immediately recognized it.
Cooper had seemed engrossed in something he was reading in the background. But as soon as Collins mentioned Carey, he raised his head and quickly turned toward her.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper abruptly turned after Kaitlan Collins made a Mariah Carey reference during the network’s midterm results coverage on Tuesday night
The funny moment occurred during CNN’s live election broadcast as Collins discussed the New Hampshire Senate race with Jake Tapper
Collins pointed to campaign ads from former Republican senator John Sununu (pictured), who appeared to distance himself from Donald Trump
Collins compared Sununu’s strategy with Mariah Carey’s (pictured in 2026) famous 2003 interview about Jennifer Lopez
Cooper stayed focused on the conversation for several seconds before walking over to the desk and joining in. “I hope that is not the only Mariah Carey reference of the night,” he joked.
His unmistakable enthusiasm at hearing the singer’s name quickly delighted viewers, turning the brief exchange into one of the most widely shared moments from Tuesday’s historic election night.
“Highlight is Anderson Cooper popping his head up like my dog does when he hears the fridge door open,” one viewer wrote.
Another posted: “Anderson heard Mariah Carey and locked in.”
“He couldn’t help himself,” a third person commented. “It’s a reflex action.”
Another viewer said they could not get over “the speed at which Anderson’s head snapped up at the mention of Mariah Carey.”
“I actually burst out laughing,” one person wrote, while another added: “Anderson wants more Mariah Carey references and honestly, same.”
Not long after Collins made the pop-culture reference, former Senator Sununu conceded that his attempt to reclaim the seat he lost nearly two decades ago had fallen short against Democratic Congressman Chris Pappas.
Sununu’s defeat came after weeks of campaigning across battleground New Hampshire, a state Trump has failed to win in each of his three presidential campaigns.
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During a debate held several weeks before Election Day, Sununu argued that he was not aligned with the president and listed several policies on which they disagreed.
“I’ve opposed the president on the trade war with Canada, on his actions in Iran, the setting up of a $1.8 billion victims fund — unnecessary,” Sununu said, according to NBC News.
“The idea of televising an execution — wrong. So I’ve never hesitated to stand up when I think it’s right for New Hampshire,” he added.
Pappas, however, was unconvinced. He told NBC at the time that Sununu’s sudden attempt to separate himself from Trump was a “new development.”
“We’re days before the election and days before people vote, and he’s expressing a little bit of concern and hesitation now over Trump — even though he’s been running for a year with his complete and total endorsement,” Pappas said.
“But we’ve heard the same from Republican senators over the last two years, and they haven’t done a damn thing about it. They haven’t stood up to the president in a meaningful way.”
Trump, the oldest president ever inaugurated in U.S. history, suffered a major political setback as Tuesday’s election gave Democrats control of both the House and the Senate.
Cooper walked over to Collins’s desk and joined the exchange, joking: “I hope that is not the only Mariah Carey reference of the night”
Soon after Collins’s pop-culture reference, former Senator Sununu lost his bid to reclaim the seat he had given up nearly two decades ago, falling to Democratic Congressman Chris Pappas
Trump, the oldest president ever inaugurated in U.S. history, suffered a major setback after Democrats gained control of both chambers of Congress
In a political earthquake, a series of traditionally Republican strongholds turned blue
The results revealed a significant shift among Trump’s once-powerful MAGA base, potentially complicating Vice President JD Vance’s plans to succeed him in 2028
The result represented a political earthquake, with several traditionally Republican strongholds turning blue.
In Texas, Democratic newcomer James Talarico defeated Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton, while South Carolina elected a Democratic senator for the first time since 1998.
Even more remarkably, Kansas sent a Democrat to the Senate for the first time since 1932, during the depths of the Great Depression.
Democrats also secured major Senate victories in Iowa and Ohio, two states Trump won by more than 10 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
In one of the night’s most closely watched races, left-wing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed declared victory over Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan, becoming the first Muslim elected to the Senate.
Although Trump’s name did not appear on the ballot, the midterms effectively became a nationwide referendum on his presidency.
The scale of the Republican losses sent shockwaves through the White House, where an intense blame game began almost immediately.
Exit polls indicated that voters had delivered a harsh verdict on the president’s failure to reduce the cost of living for ordinary Americans.
The results also highlighted a major shift among Trump’s once-formidable MAGA supporters, potentially making Vice President JD Vance’s ambitions to succeed him in 2028 more difficult.
