Mariah Carey and her longtime boyfriend, Bryan Tanaka, are no longer together. A source told Page Six that the couple split because Tanaka, 40, allegedly wanted to start “a family” with the 54-year-old Grammy Award-winning singer.
“That’s not where she is at,” the insider said.
Carey — who is reportedly celebrating the holidays in Aspen, Colorado, without the creative director and choreographer — is already a proud mom to her 12-year-old twins Morocco and Monroe, whom she shares with ex-husband Nick Cannon. Tanaka does not have children of his own, Page Six noted.
According to People, the former lovebirds met in 2006 during Carey’s Adventures of Mimi Tour.
Tanaka was a backup dancer for the five-octave vocalist. The pair worked together for years before their relationship turned romantic in 2016. Carey had just ended her engagement to Australian billionaire James Packer when they began dating. The Butterfly artist and the dancer broke up briefly in 2017 before reuniting.
“Something connected with us back in the day, and there was just a mutual admiration,” Tanaka told E! News 2016 of his romance with Carey. “‘She saw something in me that I actually didn’t recognize at first, from that it was over. It was set in history that we were gonna be connected some way, somehow.”
Breakup rumors about the couple began swirling on Dec. 18, when a source told People that Carey was celebrating the holidays alone in Aspen, an annual trip that Tanaka has been taking with the star over the years. The dancer was also absent during the singer’s Merry Christmas One and All! Tour that kicked off in November in Highland, California.
“He wants to start having his own life,” another source said of Tanaka’s alleged split from the music icon.
In 2022, the 40-year-old choreographer accompanied the Songbird Supreme and her children to Aspen. In a post shared to Instagram Dec. 26, 2022, the “Shake It Off” crooner could be seen snuggled up against Tanaka at a dinner table as they smiled at the camera during a festive “Boxing Day” celebration with Morocco and Monroe.
“Happy Boxing Day,” the Christmas Queen penned. “Every day is a celebration.”
Interestingly, Carey’s Instagram post from December 2022 marks the last time Tanaka was featured on her page.
On X, netizens have shared their thoughts about the couple’s rumored split.
Some fans are eager to hear Carey’s music post-breakup, as they are certain the iconic singer will churn out hits following the alleged separation. A few netizens wondered why Tanaka had high hopes to start a family with the celeb given their 14-year age gap, while others are sad over the rumored news.
Check out a few reactions about the alleged breakup and family buzz below.
Hopefully, Carey and Tanaka can work it out. They looked so happy together.
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