Mariah Carey and Jennifer Hudson joined forces to talk about her upcoming holiday tour and their mutual “obsession” with all things Christmas.
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As part of the show’s “Legends” interview series, Mariah Carey guest starred on Wednesday’s episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show. “You know, you’re the 'Queen of Christmas' and I’m like, well, I feel like the 'Princess of Christmas',” Jennifer Hudson began a little sheepishly. “Well, that’s how we got started when I was doing that Apple special -- that’s why I called you,” Carey said, referencing their duet in her 2020 Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special. They sang a rendition of “Oh Santa!" and "Here Comes Santa Claus” along with Ariana Grande and Snoop Dogg, but Carey revealed that a different Christmas song was her favorite.
“I have to say my favorite all-time Christmas song is Nat King Cole’s version of [The] Christmas Song — that’s my favorite,” said the five-time GRAMMY award winner, with Hudson adamantly agreeing. “The man with the satin voice” she added. The song is an undeniable Christmas classic and consistently resurges in listening charts each holiday season. Nat King Cole’s soothing crooner voice gives listeners some of the best comfort Christmas music has to offer. And clearly, Carey knows this too, since she nearly forces those around her to partake in listening. “Oh, I don’t let anyone listen to anything but Christmas music, when I’m celebrating Christmas. They gotta listen to that,” she said, before adding in her second rule: “The movies have to be Christmas related.”
Her number one Christmas movie is a tie between Elf and the original Miracle on 34th Street saying that “there’s just something about” its age and timelessness. And when asked about decorations and how many Christmas trees she keeps, Carey seemed to acknowledge her obsession. “Well, I don’t want to make anybody feel left out, because we have a lot of Christmas trees.” “What’s ‘a lot’ Mariah?” Hudson jokingly interrupted. “Like a whole field of trees?” Carey responded rather shyly saying, “It’s not a field, per se…”
While she may break the rules with her house decorations, Carey assured the talk show host and fellow musician that she has a big hand in her holiday food traditions. “I do cook, and nobody believes me!” she joked, before admitting that her cooking may be more along the lines of helping others cook. “I do a traditional Christmas dinner, and I help. I’m not there doing everything alone. I’m not gonna say that. But I do add a little bit of seasoning,” she said, with the crowd laughing in response.
It’s safe to say that ‘Queen of Christmas’ Mariah Carey doesn’t mess around when it comes to Christmas etiquette, and expects the same "best behavior" that big man Santa does. So be good, for goodness sake! You can check out a clip from the Jennifer Hudson Show above, and see what holiday songs are making rounds on Audacy’s Pop Classic Christmas.