Mariah Carey Crashes 'Schitt's Creek' Cast Performance Of 'Hero'

The cast of “Schitt’s Creek” performed Mariah Carey’s smash hit in character — and the diva herself made a surprise appearance

On June 7th, celebs of every sort gave messages of support, love, and encouragement to the class of 2020, a graduating class being feted with a variety of distanced recognition events in light of the coronavirus pandemic that’s made in-person celebrations next to impossible. The event was called “Dear Class of 2020” and one of the segments featured a performance of Mariah Carey’s smash hit “Hero” by the cast of the beloved Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek. That’s amazing enough on its own, but by the end of the song, the queen diva herself joined in — much to the delight of one David Rose.

YouTube’s special included Barack and Michelle Obama, Beyoncé , Lady Gaga, and so many other luminaries, so the Schitt’s crew was in great company. The Rose family and so many other faces from the tiny town all appeared in character, which made their performance about 1,000 times better. Of course, it was David Rose (Dan Levy) who suggested they sing “Hero,” because any fan of the show knows he’s a huge fan of Mariah Carey. Heart-warming hilarity ensued.

Anyone else tear up at the sound of Moira’s (Catherine O’Hara) unplaceable and completely bizarre accent? Or at David’s on-brand tech troubles or Alexis’ (Annie Murphy) glorious “SHUSH, DAVID” or Johnny’s (Eugene Levy) warm eyes as he tries to translate Moira’s bonkers vocabulary words? This is the dose of the Rose family that everyone trying to get through 2020 needed. But it wasn’t just the fab four involved — they were joined by Jocelyn (Jennifer Robertson), Ray (Rizwan Manji), Twyla (Sarah Levy), Ronnie (Karen Robinson), Stevie (Emily Hampshire), and Patrick (Noah Reid). As they began the song, of course, velvet-voiced Patrick and Twyla took the lead.

The cast performs the song beautifully, and as they get toward the end, Carey pops in, stunning David and delighting everyone. “I think I’m having a heart attack,” cries David. His reaction is “simply the best,” y’all.

After wrapping the tune, Carey sweetly thanks the teachers who somehow made 2020 work for students and their families, even gracing us with an appearance by her twins Roc and Roe. She also shares a special moment with David where he literally passes out, and if you’re a Schitt’s fan, your entire month is now made.

The full list of guest appearances during the special is truly too long to list, but suffice to say, the famous names involved are just one more much-deserved nod to the class of 2020 and the completely strange “graduation” they’re getting. Trying to properly celebrate high school and college students who worked so hard to get to this point only to miss out on the traditional graduation ceremony and activities is a matter of serious creativity. Huge kudos to those going the distance to recognize these kids as they move into an uncertain future. Goodness knows they deserve it.