If you lived throughout the 1990s then some musical artists need no introduction, with Mariah being one of them. She had the most hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the decade (14 songs), and was also declared "artist of the decade". She also holds the record for the most digital downloads of a Christmas song, with All I Want for Christmas Is You estimated to have sold over 3.2 million copies as of 2022!
Regarding her height, she never appears short, and when wearing heels and pictured together with other celebs she regularly appears on the taller side of average.
But how tall is she? Well, let's find out her real height by investigating her height claims, what others say about her height, and comparing her height to other celebs, to find out how tall Mariah Carey really is!
Her Real Height
After investigating Mariah's Height by finding her height claims and comparing her height to other famous singers, she appears shorter than expected. I believe she wakes up at around 5'7" tall, dropping down to 5'6.75"-5'6.5" for the majority of the day. Therefore on this page, I will list her height as 5'6.75" (169.5 cm).
Height Listing
Mariah Carey is listed at 173 cm or 5'8" on Google and IMDb
Height Claims
Over the years Mariah has claimed heights of 5'8" and 5'8.5", but on more than one occasion, and most frequently she claims to be 5'9".
1: The first example of her claiming 5'9" is from a 1999 interview, where regarding her physical features, Mariah mentions that:
"I was always very leggy. Even as a four-year-old in my Bumble Bee suit my legs were really long."
"People expect me to be a little thing but I'm 5ft 9in with muscular legs." (1)
2: Another example includes an interview from Hotel Bayerischer in Munich, where Mariah was asked one hundred questions!
Firstly, upon meeting Mariah, the interviewer remarked that there is:
"a whole lot of Mariah at once. She is about 6ft 1inch tall"
Then proceeds to ask 100 questions to her, with question 35 being "Your height in centimeters?" and Mariah's response is as follows:
"I am 5 foot and 9 inches tall and "Of course I'm taller when I'm wearing shoes. People always think I'm tiny until they meet me for the first time. They'll be like "Huh. You're tall." (2)
What Others Say
Similar to Adele, it appears that people generally agree Mariah is as tall as 5'9".
In Mariah's unofficial biography, Mariah Carey Revisited (1998), in reference to her good looking appearance, it mentions Mariah as "Statuesque (standing five feet, nine inches tall)." (3)
Another interviewer mentioned that:
"Most celebrities, when you meet them, are disappointingly small. Mariah Carey is quite the opposite. A strapping five-foot-nine sans stilettos" (4)
Height Illusion
As we now know, Mariah Claims to be anywhere from 5'8" to 5'9" tall. To help her create the illusion of height, similar to some other celebs, she regularly wears stiletto high heels with platforms, usually providing her with 4-5 inches of height gain.
Mariah once commented on this, saying:
"This height of heel is what I wear," and "Even my slippers. I can't even walk in flats." (5)
This is backed up by director Lee Daniels, who in reference to working with her on the movie Precious (2009), said:
"Mariah was born as an embryo in stiletto heels," says Daniels. "She walks – even in her home – on her toenails" (5)
Even so, she would still be a tall woman without them, as another interviewer remarked upon meeting Mariah, that:
"She looks like she'd be tall even without her earth-defying heels". (6)
Regarding these comments, there is no doubting that Mariah is over the average height for an American woman, but her constant use of very high heels does make her appear taller out in public and also compared to the average person or celeb she is standing with.
Height Compared With Other Singers
Taking footwear into consideration, let's compare her height to some celebs who are a similar height to her, to see if she is really as tall as the 5'8"-5'9" she claims!
Whitney Houston 5'8" (172.7 cm)
When Mariah and Whitney stood together they sometimes look fairly similar in height, due to Mariah wearing huge heels, but when footwear is similar Whitney, she is clearly taller.
Some examples include in the video for When You Believe (1998), where Whitney looks 1.5 inches taller. Also, when they performed the song together live on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1998, Whitney appears 1.5 inches taller, and in other examples, such as when presenting together at the 1998 MTV VMAs, the difference remains the same.
So when compared to Whitney Houston, Mariah appears to be 5'6.5" tall.
Beyonce Knowles 5'6" (167.6 cm)
Compared with Beyonce Knowles, Mariah sometimes appears similar in height, but on close inspection, she is slightly taller than Beyoncé. For instance, at the Milan Fashion Week in 2003, when pictured together Mariah was 0.5-75 inches taller than Beyoncé.
Also, when they met at Fashion Rocks in New York to sing the song Just Stand Up, in 2008, when standing next to each other, Mariah looks to be the same height, but Beyoncé is wearing thicker shoes here.
Finally, when they posed for a photo at Mariah's holiday concert at the Beacon Theatre, New York in 2016, Mariah looks half an inch taller.
Therefore with Beyoncé, Mariah appears between 5'6.5"- 5'6.75" tall.
Rihanna 5'8" (172.7 cm)
When Rihanna and Mariah were standing close to each other attending the 2008 launch of VEVO, and wearing similar footwear, Rihanna appeared to be taller by around 1.5 inches. Also, at Fashion Rocks in 2008, when together to perform the song Just Stand Up, Rihanna looks to be a comfortable 1.75 inches taller.
Therefore with Rihanna, Mariah Carey appears to be between 5'6.25-5'6.5" tall.
The Results - when compared to other singers, Mariah generally appears to be between 5'6.25"-5'6.75" tall.
The Ending
Mariah Carey is shorter than she claims to be, but still over average height for an American woman. She uses very large heels that add 4-5 inches of height, but when she takes them off, her height is in the 5'6.5"-5'7" range, and on the page, I will list her height as 5'6.75" (169.5 cm).
Related Heights
- Nick Cannon, Ex-Husband (2008-2016), 5'10.75" (179.7 cm)
- Tommy Mottola, Ex-Husband (1993-1998), 5'8" (172.7 cm)
- James Packer, Ex-Fiance (Dated 2015-2016), 6'5" (195.6 cm)
- Eminem, Long Lasting Feud, 5'8" (172.7 cm)
- Celine Dion, Singer, 5'7 (170.2 cm)
References
Sourced from MCA: mariah carey archives, referencing articles:
1: MCA: (The Sun) Exclusive: Mariah Carey's marriage hell, Thursday 21 October 1999
2: MCA: Süddeutsche Zeitung-Mariah Connection: 100 Questions for Mariah Carey, Friday 20 January 2006
3: Mariah Carey Revisited: The Unauthorized Biography, (1998) By Chris Nickson
4: People: You Could Be Sitting Next to Mariah Carey
Sourced from The Guardian, referencing articles:
5: The Guardian: Interview, Mariah Carey: Who are you calling a diva? By Elizabeth Day
6: The Guardian: Mariah Carey, The ultimate pop princess enjoys a very intimate encounter with Paul Morley
