CNN anchor Anderson Cooper abruptly shifted his attention and “locked in” after Kaitlan Collins worked a Mariah Carey reference into the network’s midterm election coverage.
The amusing exchange unfolded Tuesday night during CNN’s live results broadcast, when Collins was discussing the New Hampshire Senate race with colleague Jake Tapper.
As votes were still being counted, Collins highlighted a series of campaign ads from former Republican senator John Sununu. In the spots, Sununu appeared eager to separate himself from Donald Trump, despite receiving the president’s endorsement.
In one ad 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 to Mariah Carey’s infamous 2003 interview, during which the singer appeared to deny knowing Jennifer Lopez.
The moment later became a lasting internet meme, with Carey smiling awkwardly, shaking her head and mouthing the words, “I don’t know her.”
The reference appeared to pass unnoticed by Tapper—but Cooper immediately understood it.
Cooper had seemed engrossed in something he was reading behind the desk. But as soon as Collins mentioned Carey, he raised his head and quickly turned toward her.
Anderson Cooper suddenly looked up and turned toward Kaitlan Collins after she slipped a Mariah Carey reference into CNN’s live midterm results coverage Tuesday night
The playful moment came during CNN’s election-night broadcast, as Collins and Jake Tapper examined the New Hampshire Senate race
Collins pointed to campaign ads by former Republican senator John Sununu, pictured, in which he sought to distance himself from Donald Trump
Collins compared Sununu’s messaging with Mariah Carey’s, pictured in 2026, memorable 2003 exchange in which the singer appeared to deny knowing Jennifer Lopez
After listening for several seconds, Cooper moved toward the desk and joined the conversation with a joke: “I hope that is not the only Mariah Carey reference of the night.”
His unmistakable enthusiasm at hearing Carey’s name quickly became a viral highlight, turning a brief on-air exchange into one of the most talked-about moments from Tuesday’s election coverage.
“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 added. “It’s a reflex action.”
Another viewer said they were stunned by “the speed at which Anderson’s head snapped up at the mention of Mariah Carey.”
“I actually burst out laughing,” one person wrote. Another agreed, saying, “Anderson wants more Mariah Carey references and honestly, same.”
Not long after Collins’ pop-culture comparison, former senator Sununu conceded defeat in his attempt to reclaim the New Hampshire seat he lost nearly two decades ago. Democratic Congressman Chris Pappas won the contest.
Sununu’s loss came after weeks of campaigning across battleground New Hampshire, a state Trump has failed to win in each of his three presidential campaigns.
During a debate held several weeks before Election Day, Sununu emphasized that he did not always align himself with the president and listed several policy disagreements between them.
“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, dismissed the effort as a recent change in strategy. He described Sununu’s attempt to distance himself from Trump as a “new development” in comments to NBC.
“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 significant political setback as Democrats captured control of both the House and Senate in Tuesday’s elections.
Cooper eventually joined Collins at the desk, joking, “I hope that is not the only Mariah Carey reference of the night”
Soon after Collins’ pop-culture reference, former senator Sununu lost his bid to win back the seat he had surrendered nearly two decades earlier to Democrat Chris Pappas
Trump, the oldest president ever inaugurated in U.S. history, faced a major setback as Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress
The political upheaval saw a number of traditionally Republican strongholds turn blue
The results revealed a notable shift among Trump’s once-powerful MAGA base and could complicate Vice President JD Vance’s potential 2028 succession plans
The election produced a political shock, with several traditionally Republican strongholds turning blue.
In Texas, Democratic newcomer James Talarico defeated Trump-endorsed Republican Ken Paxton. South Carolina also elected a Democratic senator for the first time since 1998.
In an especially striking result, Kansas sent a Democrat to the Senate for the first time since 1932, during the depths of the Great Depression.
Democrats additionally secured major Senate victories in Iowa and Ohio—both states Trump carried by more than 10 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
One of the evening’s most closely watched races unfolded in Michigan, where left-wing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed declared victory over Republican Mike Rogers and became the first Muslim elected to the Senate.
Although Trump’s name did not appear on any ballot, the midterms effectively became a national referendum on his presidency.
The magnitude of the Republican losses sent shockwaves through the White House, where an internal blame game began almost immediately.
Exit polls indicated that voters were delivering a harsh verdict on the president’s failure to ease the cost-of-living pressures facing ordinary Americans.
The results also pointed to a major shift within Trump’s once-formidable MAGA coalition, potentially creating new obstacles for Vice President JD Vance as he considers a possible bid to succeed Trump in 2028.
