Dick Clark Productions has fired back at Mariah Carey, blasting the singer’s accusation that the production company was to blame for her performance problems on Saturday’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” telecast on ABC.
Carey spokeswoman Nicole Perna was quoted by Billboard magazine on Sunday saying that producers “set her up to fail.” She asserted that the singer complained of problems with her earpiece before she went live on the show. Carey has blamed technical issues and her inability to hear the music for her failure to complete a planned three-song set on the telecast.
Dick Clark Productions late Sunday issued a lengthy statement challenging Carey’s claims.
“As the premier producer of live television events for nearly 50 years, we pride ourselves on our reputation and long-standing relationships with artists. To suggest that DCP, as producer of music shows including the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and Academy of Country Music Awards, would ever intentionally compromise the success of any artist is defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd,” the statement said.
“In very rare instances there are of course technical errors that can occur with live television, however, an initial investigation has indicated that (Dick Clark Productions) had no involvement in the challenges associated with Ms. Carey’s New Year’s Eve performance. We want to be clear that we have the utmost respect for Ms. Carey as an artist and acknowledge her tremendous accomplishments in the industry,” the statement said.
Carey’s awkward appearance on the telecast that drew more than 8 million viewers became a New Year’s Day viral video sensation. The incident fueled speculation that Carey had intended to lip-synch the performance, a claim that Perna told Billboard was “adding insult to injury.”
Carey has been in the spotlight in the past few weeks since the November premiere of the E! reality series “Mariah’s World,” chronicling her “Sweet Sweet Fantasy” tour of Europe, the U.K. and Australia. She previously had a rocky run as a judge on Fox’s “American Idol” in 2013. She later described the experience of working on the talent competition show as “abusive.”
