Why Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka Split After Seven Years

After seven years together, Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka have split.

The news was broken late on Wednesday by Page Six, which quoted a source who said Tanaka wanted to have children. “He wants to have a family. That’s not where she is at,” the insider said.

Carey is already a mother to 12-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe, whom she shares with her ex-husband Nick Cannon. (Cannon, of course, is also famously a parent to 10 other children from various mothers.)

Carey and Cannon have been separated since 2014, and the “All I Want for Christmas Is You” singer started dating Tanaka in 2016. She confirmed her relationship with the dancer and choreographer during an interview with the Associated Press, in which she said, “I’m just going to be like, ‘I really don't talk about my personal life.’ Because that’s what I used to do, and it really worked for a minute, back, a while ago. I just don’t feel comfortable talking about my personal life … Me and my boyfriend don’t want to do that.”

However, Tanaka and Carey’s relationship went back much further than their romantic involvement, as he was a backup dancer for her Adventures of Mimi Tour in 2006, according to People.

As another insider told Page Six about the breakup: “[Bryan] wants to start having his own life.” The pair were last spotted together at Carey’s 54th birthday party in March, but Tanaka was notably absent from her trip to Aspen this month. They briefly split at least once before, in 2017, but quickly rekindled their relationship.

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Joel is the editorial and social media assistant for HarpersBAZAAR.com, where he covers all things celebrity news. When he steps away from the keyboard, you can likely find him singing off-key at concerts, scavenging thrift stores for loud wardrobe staples, or perusing bookstores for the next great gay romance novel.

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