Sounds like the holiday season hasn’t all been jolly for Mariah Carey. First, the singer’s classic “All I Want for Christmas” was briefly dethroned by Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” And now, a source told “Page Six” that Carey and her boyfriend of seven years, Bryan Tanaka, have broken up.
The reported split follows a month of breakup rumors, which began after fans noticed that Tanaka, who has been a fixture at Carey’s concerts for 17 years, wasn’t attending her Merry Christmas One and All tour. A “Page Six” source reportedly said Tanaka, who is 40, “wants to have a family. That’s not where she is at.” (Carey, 54, shares 12-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, with her ex-husband Nick Cannon.) Fans are now revisiting comments she made earlier this month, wondering if she was hinting at a breakup when she told People that last Christmas “wasn’t the greatest.”
Tanaka and Carey met in 2006 when he joined the Adventures of Mimi tour as a dancer, but they didn’t start dating until 2016. They briefly split up in 2017 but soon got back together. Over the years, the duo has shared photos celebrating their anniversaries, hanging out with her twins, and spending the holidays in Aspen together. So eyebrows rose when she was spotted shopping solo in Aspen this week.
But, thankfully, it seems nothing will keep the Queen of Christmas from enjoying her holiday. Carey told People she’s been looking forward to this Christmas all year: “Come hell or high water, this year, this Christmas, we are going to have fun.”
