Mariah Carey and Boyfriend Bryan Tanaka Spark Breakup Rumors
Is the Queen of Christmas going into the New Year a single woman?
Is there trouble in paradise for Mariah Carey and backup dancer turned beau, Bryan Tanaka? The longtime couple began dating in 2016 after the end of her engagement to billionaire James Packer. Tanaka worked alongside (or behind) the Grammy-award-winning singer for nearly a decade before their relationship turned romantic. Speculation about the status of their relationship began after the self-proclaimed Queen of Christmas kicked off her multi-city holiday tour in mid-November — from which Tanaka has been noticeably absent.
A source tells PEOPLE Carey is also celebrating the holidays in Aspen without Tanaka, 40. Since the start of their relationship, he's accompanied Carey and her now 12-year-old twins on the annual holiday vacation. The last public outing for the two came in March when Carey celebrated her birthday. He wished her a happy one in a sweet Instagram post. If they have split, it won't be the first time. They broke up briefly in 2017 before reconciling months later. While the two have embraced publicly, she's kept details of their relationship private.
Carey's relationship with Tanaka began after her contentious split from Parker. The Australian businessman opened up about their short-lived romance. "I was at a low point in my personal life," he told The Australian of the split. "She was kind, exciting and fun. Mariah is a woman of substance. But it was a mistake for her and a mistake for me." Carey sued him after their breakup. A longtime New Yorker, she relocated from the East Coast to LA to start a life with Packer, uprooting her twins.
Carey reportedly received a $5 to 10 million dollar settlement, which was less than the $50 million she reportedly sought. She also received the flashy 35-carat diamond engagement ring Packer proposed to her with.
The former couple met at the Hercules premiere in 2014 and made their debut in the fall of September 2015 at The Intern premiere. He proposed in January 2016. Their engagement reportedly ended after a major fight in Greece.