Rock & Roll Hall of Fame chairman baffled by Mariah Carey's induction snub

Mariah Carey performs during the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at San Siro Stadium on Feb. 6, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Mariah Carey has been on the ballot for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for three years in a row, yet she still hasn't gotten in. If you're confused about that, well, so is the chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Chairman John Sykes tells Billboard that the biggest surprise this year for him was that Mariah was snubbed. "I really believed that Mariah Carey should have, would have been inducted this year, because I think she’s deserving. But I don’t run this by myself. It’s a democratic system of voters," he says.

Asked why he thinks people aren't voting for her, Sykes says, "I have no idea. I think she’s a genius artist. She’s written [18] No. 1 songs [on the Billboard Hot 100]. She’s moved a generation of young people. I just think she’s incredible."

"But again, we have a very open voting process and it’s determined by committees of music executives, writers, artists, and they make the decision, not me," he notes.

Asked how Mariah is handling the snub, Sykes says, "All I can say is, I spoke to her about it, as I would speak to others. That’s part of the process, and many artists have taken years to get in."

Speaking generally, Sykes says, "With the artists that are not inducted, what we try to say to them, is, 'You’re now in the running, you’re now in the conversation.' ... So just to get on that ballot is really a mark of success —and the beginning, hopefully, of being inducted."

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place Nov. 14 in LA, and premiere in December on ABC and Disney+. This year's inductees include Phil Collins, Luther Vandross, Sade, Billy Idol, Wu-Tang Clan and Oasis.

(Disney is the parent company of ABC News).