When it rains, it pours and one celebrity after another is finding that out after being hit with six-figure lawsuits as of late. Now attention has turned to the self-proclaimed “Queen of Christmas” Mariah Carey. Over the weekend, TMZ and other outlets reported that the pop diva was being sued over her Diamond single, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
In the lawsuit, Andy Stone claims he co-wrote and recorded the song in Nashville in 1989, and recorded a music video. The songwriter is suing for copyright infringement and alleges his song was played on the radio and placed on the Billboard charts in 1993 at Christmas time — just one year before MC released her now-famous song, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
Despite having the same title, Stone and Carey’s versions of the song are not the same. However, Stone claims neither Carey’s nor her team were granted permission to use the same song title.
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” video has nearly 273 million YouTube views and counting. The track topped Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs list in November 2021, and hit one billion streams on Spotify weeks later in December. Later that same month, Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” made history as the first holiday single to receive the coveted RIAA Diamond award. Stone could be reaching according to fans on Twitter, who noticed the obvious differences between both tracks.
One person tweeted, “So the song has different lyrics and melody…just the same name.”
A second individual wrote, “I just listened to the “original” and Mariah’s version is better anyway.”
A third asked, “And he waited until now to file the suit because…?”
It’s unclear why Stone waited nearly three decades before issuing a lawsuit against Carey. Some believe he’s looking to cash out and get “more money.”
That person continued, “He sat back and let her rack up money. Smart move. If he wins that’s gonna be wild.”
However, a handful disagreed with Stone’s lawsuit, considering artists regularly use the same song titles. Many say he might be a little too late to collect, but most don’t believe the case won’t make it to being presented in court.
“These lawsuits are getting out of control,” one person tweeted.
Mariah Carey isn’t the only celebrity being dragged into court. “RHOA” star Nene Leakes is being sued by the current wife of her boyfriend Nyonisela Sioh, TMZ reports. In legal documents also obtained by the outlet, wife Melamine Tehmeh-Sioh, claims that the reality star was dating her husband while they were still legally married. She is seeking over $100k from the 54-year-old actress for humiliation and for breaking up their marriage under North Carolina state law. The state is one of seven in the United States that allows an individual to sue their spouse’s extramarital partner for “alienation of affection.”
In April, TMZ also broke the news that Leakes issued her own lawsuit against Bravo, Andy Cohen, production and staff of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” series for allegations of years of racism and discrimination. The lawsuit also makes accusations against former “RHOA” co-star Kim Zolciak-Biermann, who made racially insensitive comments about herself and former co-star Kandi Burruss.
