Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka were a fan-favorite duo for seven years, but they’ve reportedly called it quits. Fans, however, already started to speculate over their relationship status in November, so what was the reason behind their breakup? Keep reading to find out.
Why Did Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka Break Up?
Just weeks after split speculation swirled, Page Six reported on December 20 that Bryan and Mariah were officially over. As for the reason behind their sudden split, a source told the outlet that Bryan “wants to have a family. That’s not where she is at.”
In November, Mariah performed on her Merry Christmas One and All! tour without Bryan, who would usually accompany her as a backup dancer. Although neither the “Always Be My Baby” artist nor the choreographer addressed his absence, fans were convinced that this was a clear sign of a breakup. However, it’s still unclear when the pair officially split.
The last time that Mariah and Bryan were seen together was in March 2023, when he posted an anniversary shout-out for Mariah on Instagram.
This wasn’t the first time when the former couple had broken up though. They briefly split in 2017, according to multiple outlets, but apparently rekindled their romance one month later after they were spotted sharing a kiss in Los Angeles.
When Did Mariah and Bryan Meet?
The former dynamic duo first met in 2006 during Mariah’s Adventures of Mimi tour when Bryan worked as one of Mariah’s backup dancers. He later became her creative director. Ten years later, they started dating, as Bryan gushed over his then-girlfriend during an interview with E!, adding that he “always had a thing for Mariah.”
“I love her so much,” the pro dancer added at the time. “We’ve been friends for a long time. I do a little dance move here and there and we have a good time. It will be fun.”
Bryan later explained how his and Mariah’s friendship evolved into a romance, noting, “Something connected with us back in the day and there was just a mutual admiration. 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.”
In 2017, Mariah broke her silence about her and Bryan’s romance during an interview with the Associated Press. While the “All I Want for Christmas” artist didn’t publicly mention Bryan by name, she called him her “boyfriend.”
“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,” she explained. “I just don’t feel comfortable talking about my personal life. … Me and my boyfriend don’t want to do that.”
