Mariah Carey's dating history: 'Fantasy' singer's love affairs have kept fans captivated over the years
Mariah Carey has often made headlines for her high-profile lovers
Mariah Carey's personal life has been marked by a series of high-profile relationships that have consistently made headlines. Her romantic journey began with her early marriage to Sony Music executive Tommy Mottola and continued with her relationship with baseball star Derek Jeter. A significant chapter in her life was her six-year marriage to Nick Cannon, with whom she shares twins Moroccan and Monroe. As of March 2023, the 'Songbird Supreme' is in the news for celebrating her "anniversary" with Bryan Tanaka, a backup dancer. This is the 'Fantasy' journey of Mariah Carey, whose 'Endless Love' life continues to fascinate fans worldwide.
Tommy Mottola
Mariah Carey and Tommy Mottola reportedly met when the 'Bye Bye' hitmaker was a young artist and Mottola was the head of Columbia Records. Despite their 20-year age gap, they got married in a lavish ceremony in 1993, with Carey wearing a stunning Vera Wang gown inspired by Princess Diana's wedding dress. However, rumors soon surfaced that Carey felt trapped and controlled in the relationship. Despite being a professional team of sorts, their personal relationship eventually fell apart, and they divorced in 1998. Mottola later admitted that their relationship was "wrong and inappropriate," while Carey described him as "controlling," per Hollywood Life.
Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter and Mariah were reportedly together for almost a year from 1997 to 1998, right after her breakup with Tommy. It wasn't until August 2020 that the singer confirmed their fling to Vulture, describing it as the "catalyst" for her split from the music executive. Interestingly, the 54-year-old also shared that her songs 'My All' and 'The Roof' were inspired by her relationship with Derek.
Marcus Schenkenberg
Mariah Carey reportedly had a brief fling with Marcus Schenkenberg, a Dutch model. They supposedly had a casual relationship for a couple of months in 1998, as per Hollywood Life.
Luis Miguel
Mariah had a brief relationship with the Mexican singer Luis Miguel from 1998 to 2001. They reportedly met at a Christmas party in Aspen, Colorado while skiing. Unfortunately, there isn't much information about their relationship, but it ended after Mariah's nervous breakdown in the summer of 2001. Aspen is apparently a favorite vacation spot for the 'Without You' singer.
Eminem
Eminem and Carey have had a rocky past, all because of their supposed romance back in 2001. The 'Lose Yourself' rapper admitted to the rumors in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2002, saying there was some "truth" to it. But, he made it clear that "on the whole personal level, I'm not really feeling it. I just don’t like her as a person." On the other hand, Carey denied any sexual relationship with Eminem during an interview with Maxim that same year, as cited by US Magazine.
Eric Benet
'Spend My Life With You' hitmaker Eric Benet was rumored to be romantically linked to Mariah in the early 2000s. The duo both appeared in the 2001 musical drama, 'Glitter', Mariah's first movie role. Speculations suggested that they dated from 2000 to 2003, after meeting on the sets of 'Glitter'. However, it is common for the media to create stories about co-stars being involved romantically, and this might have been the case with Eric and Mariah too as neither confirmed or denied it.
Christian Monzon
Christian Monzon, a model, and Carey had a short fling from 2005 to 2006 after they crossed paths on the set of the 'Don't Forget About Us' music video. Rumor has it that when questioned about their relationship in January 2006, the talented 'My All' singer played it cool and didn't spill the beans about the affair, per Mirror.
Nick Cannon
Mariah's relationship with Nick Cannon is her most well-documented and public one to date. They got married in 2008, which was Mariah's second marriage. In 2011, Mariah and Nick had twins named Moroccan and Monroe. Unfortunately, they separated in December of 2014. Their divorce was finalized in 2016, and they agreed to share custody of their children. Since then, they have publicly supported each other's careers and personal lives, and they continue to successfully co-parent their son and daughter. Nick has even admitted that he would marry his ex-wife again, showing the strength of their friendship. "It was Mariah Carey. Whatever she say, I'm with it. If she wanted to say we was going to the moon, I'm like, 'Let's go.' If I’mma marry somebody, I’mma marry her," said the rapper on an episode of T.I.'s podcast ExpediTIously.
Bryan Tanaka
Mariah moved on with her backup dancer, Bryan Tanaka, in December 2017, shortly after her breakup with James. They reportedly had a brief split but eventually got back together, and their relationship has been on and off ever since. Bryan, who later became the singer's "creative director," appeared in her short-lived E! television series, 'Mariah's World' (2016-2017). One of the episodes of the reality show was called 'Catching Feelings', which delved into their romance. In April 2020, they celebrated Bryan's 37th birthday together, and in May, they reportedly began expressing their love for each other online. The research suggests that the two are still likely linked, but there haven't been any pictures of them together since March 2023, when Tanaka celebrated Carey's 54th birthday, per People. To commemorate his girlfriend's special day on March 28, which the singer likes to refer to as her "anniversary," the dancer posted one of his beloved snapshots of the talented singer on Instagram. He wrote, "Happy Anniversary my Beautiful Queen," alongside a black and white selfie featuring Carey.