Mariah Carey’s messy dating history dates back to her first marriage to music exec Tommy Mottola. Since then, the powerhouse vocalist has had a legendary love life full of ups and downs. Since she has gotten herself tangled up in some very sticky situations, we think it’s about time we discuss Mariah Carey’s messy dating history.
Her early views on marriage
Mariah Carey’s parents divorced when she was just three years old. Her older sister lived with their father, while Mariah and her older brother stayed with her mom. According to the Mariah Carey biography, written by Marc Shapiro, Mariah said she and her father initially had a good relationship after the divorce. But shortly thereafter, they barely communicated, although they remained cordial. She later said her parents’ divorce affected how she viewed marriage. She added, “Everybody wishes they had The Brady Bunch family, but it’s not reality.”
Dating an older man
Mariah met Tommy Mottola, the head of Sony Music, when she was barely out of high school and he was 21 years older. After hearing her demo tape, Tommy was blown away by her voice. Mariah had already been offered a $30,000 recording contract, and Tommy countered that offer by agreeing to give her $50,000 if she signed with Sony. Oh, and he also demanded she get rid of her collaborator, who was also her boyfriend at the time.
With the promise that he’d make her a bigger star than Whitney Houston and Madonna, Mariah agreed to sign with Sony. In his memoir, the then-married-with-children music exec said he and Mariah had great chemistry upon meeting. He also claimed Mariah was “flirtatious” from the first moment he laid eyes on her.
Tommy held true to his promise, and Mariah’s debut album sold more than 15 million copies by the end of 1991.
He divorced his first wife and he and Mariah decided to get hitched. According to his memoir, Mariah watched replays of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s royal wedding for inspiration.
She was a prisoner
They got married in 1993, but things were bad from the start. Mariah later told Cosmopolitan magazine that she felt very controlled. She said, “There was no freedom for me as a human being. It was almost like being a prisoner.”
Not only did Tommy take control of Mariah’s professional career, but he took control in the literal sense. Mariah was reportedly stuck inside the Bedford, NY, mansion Tommy had built. And two bodyguards were assigned to watch her at all times.
While her career ascended to new heights, her marriage crashed and burned when they decided to separate in May 1997. Their divorce was finalized in 1998.
Those closest to the couple weren’t surprised. An insider told People magazine that Mariah and Tommy were going in two different directions. He was reportedly eager to please her, while Mariah preferred to party with rappers in Manhattan.
Looking back on their marriage, Tommy wrote in his memoir that it was “absolutely wrong and inappropriate” that they even got involved with one another in the first place. He added that he was truly sorry for any discomfort or pain that his good intentions caused her.
The biggest heartbreak
Mariah Carey’s messy dating history was just getting started. A brief relationship with Derek Jeter and model Marcus Schenkenberg came to an end. Then, in 1998, she met Latin singer Luis Miguel in Aspen. According to her biography, written by Marc Shapiro, Mariah and Luis’ real estate agents set them up. They planned on recording a duet, but when that fell through, they decided to give love a shot.
Cheating rumors soon crept their way into the superstar’s relationship. While working on the soundtrack for the film Glitter, there were reports that Mariah and singer Eric Benét were getting a little too close. But that wasn’t the only problem. Mariah reportedly wanted kids and Luis didn’t, so he reportedly broke things off in 2001.
The break-up was so traumatizing that it was allegedly the source of Mariah’s much-publicized 2001 meltdown. ABC News reported Mariah went into hysterics, smashing glasses and dishes in her New York hotel suite. She was taken to the hospital for an emotional and physical breakdown and was later moved to a facility in Connecticut.
When it was reported that Mariah suffered from cuts on her foot from the broken dishes, some news outlets claimed the singer cut herself in an attempt to take her own life. But Mariah’s publicists denied that allegation. They also blamed the singer’s meltdown on exhaustion and the stress of her hectic schedule. But, of course, everyone assumed she was devastated over the breakup.
Did she date Eminem?
Back on the mend, Mariah was ready to focus on her career. Sometime in 2001, she reportedly met with Eminem to discuss a collaboration. According to Complex magazine, they sparked a brief romance that lasted for about six months. But Mariah denied their relationship during an interview with Larry King Live.
Eminem persisted and continued to diss Mariah on numerous tracks, but in true Mariah fashion, she hit back with her own disses. Things simmered down for a while at least.
Meeting Nick Cannon
According to People magazine, Mariah Carey met Nick Cannon at the Teen Choice Awards in 2005. They didn’t start dating until March 2008, and their relationship moved at lightning speed. Nick told the magazine it was love at first sight, and they had been inseparable since the start of their relationship. He added, “Once we connected I felt it was destined: This has to be my wife.”
Before the public even knew they were an item, they got some ink to solidify their love. Nick got Mariah’s name tattooed across his back, while Mariah got the words “Mrs. Cannon” on her lower back. Nick told People magazine that in his eyes, tattoos were more significant than wedding rings. But the couple eventually decided to take things to the next level just six weeks after they began dating. In April 2008, they tied the knot at Mariah’s estate in the Bahamas.
In 2009, Mariah’s alleged past came back to haunt her when Eminem released another diss track. Her new husband decided to defend her honor by typing a since-deleted Tumblr post entitled, “How Cute.” Nick wrote he was taking full action against the rapper. In his rant, Nick called Eminem a coward and proclaimed the rapper “finally barked up the wrong tree.”
In November of that same year, Mariah released the song “Obsessed” and even dressed up like Eminem in the music video. Many people thought she was doing too much over someone that she claimed to have never dated.
On a happier note, Mariah and Nick welcomed their twins Moroccan and Monroe, in April 2011. But even this happy occasion couldn’t keep the couple together. There were rumors that Mariah was cheating with the rapper Nas, but Nick came to her defense and stated the rumor wasn’t true and Nas was a mutual friend to both of them.
Separation & divorce
In 2014, Nick was ready to air their dirty laundry. He told The Insider With Yahoo he and Mariah had been living in separate houses for a few months.
A source told E! News the relationship fell apart because Mariah tried to get Nick to stay home more, but he always used work as an excuse. The couple eventually decided to call it quits with Nick filing for divorce in December 2014.
Mariah and her billionaire boo
Mariah Carey’s messy dating history got even messier when she met billionaire James Packer in 2014. According to People magazine, she met the billionaire businessman at the premiere of Hercules. They went public on the red carpet in 2015. According to the NZ Herald, six months later, James purchased a 35-carat engagement ring and proposed to the singer at a restaurant. They set their wedding date for March 2016, but there were problems…lots of problems.
James revealed they had issues negotiating their prenup. And a friend of James’ was concerned about his well-being during his time with Mariah, the friend even stepped in to help handle things on James’ behalf. The friend allegedly put his foot down when Mariah tried to purchase a $250,000 dollar wedding dress. The friend then arranged for James to go to Israel because he felt it was best for him to get some space away from the R&B singer. Subsequently, the wedding was postponed.
When James got back to America, he still wanted to get married, but by October 2016, the love affair was over.
However, that wasn’t the end of it. Mariah wanted a reported $50 million dollars from James for their relationship and broken engagement. According to The Blast, Mariah felt she was entitled to the money because she had, quote, “uprooted her life” for him. She also wanted to keep the engagement ring, and she did. According to sources, Mariah also ended up walking away with between $5 and $10 million dollars in 2017.
Finding love again
Shortly after her breakup, Mariah got into a relationship with her much-younger backup dancer Bryan Tanaka. According to People magazine, Mariah broke up with him that same year. She and her ex-hubby Nick briefly rekindled their relationship, but It didn’t go much further. Subsequently, Mariah ended up right back in Bryan’s arms. As of this article, the couple is still going strong.
We’re hoping Mariah has finally found her true love, and we wish her and Bryan nothing but the best!
Let us know your thoughts on Mariah Carey’s messy dating history or drop us a comment on our YouTube channel!