In an interview with E! News, Mariah Carey shut down the idea of a Verzuz battle with Beyoncé. 

“I love Beyoncé and I admire her so much as a performer for what she’s done for the world and everything else,” Carey said. 

“I’d be disrespecting myself and I’m not going to do that, because it’s Christmas time.”

The self-proclaimed “Queen of Christmas” was interviewing with the entertainment news channel about her Mariah Menu collaboration with fast food giant McDonald’s. Her signature menu features a select free item each day through Christmas Eve with a $1 minimum purchase on the McDonald’s mobile app.

“Some of my favorite memories with my kids are our family trips to McDonald’s, and of course, each of us has our go-to order,” Carey said in a statement, adding that her order is a cheeseburger with extra pickles. “Bringing together some of our favorite food from McDonald’s with my all-time favorite season is a holiday wish come true.”

NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 31: Mariah Carey performs at the Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018 on December 31, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for dick clark productions)

Carey has said that she loves all things Christmas, telling E! News that she enjoys decorating and spending time with her children. She said that she appreciates the success of her signature Christmas classic and recently released a new song, “Fall In Love at Christmas,” with Khalid and Kirk Franklin.

“I know people are like, ‘Ah yeah, look at her making checks,’ like, whatever, Scrooges,” Carey said. “I don’t care what you say. Honestly, this is the truth. I do love the holidays.”

Verzuz, which has been an exciting musical matchup program since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, has grown into a major performance event. Recent matchups have included classic rap groups like Bone Thugs N Harmony and Three 6 Mafia as well as R&B pairings like Stephanie Mills and Chaka Khan. 

Fans on social media have also commented on the potential for Mariah/Beyoncé battle with one viral tweet, stating plainly, “Verzuz can’t afford Mariah Carey or Beyoncé. Let’s actually start there.” 

The idea seems to have originated with legendary producer and music executive, L.A. Reid, who responded to a question on The Real referencing the two pop titans doing an “Ultimate Divas” showdown on Verzuz.

“Bey’s the queen, right? We know Bey is the queen,” L.A added. “But sometimes Mariah might be slightly underrated for how long her career has lasted, how many hits she has, and she practically owns Christmas.”

Have you subscribed to theGrio podcasts “Dear Culture” or “Acting Up?” Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!

The post Mariah Carey shuts down talk of possible Verzuz battle with Beyoncé: ‘Oh stop’ appeared first on TheGrio.