Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka ended their relationship on good terms after seven years of dating, a source exclusively tells Life & Style.
“Mariah doesn’t have anything bad to say about Bryan,” the insider explains. “They had a good run, over seven years, they had a lot of fun together and Bryan was always respectful.”
After noting that the split was linked to Bryan, 40, wanting “to have kids of his own,” the source adds, “They parted cordially and plan to remain friends, but Mariah wants him to find someone special and go after his dreams.”
“She says Bryan will make a great dad,” the insider concludes.
Mariah, 54, and Bryan began dating in 2016 while he was her backup dancer. However, they knew each other for years before their relationship turned romantic and met in 2006 when he performed on her Adventures of Mimi Tour.
After they were spotted packing on the PDA on several occasions, the “Obsessed” singer confirmed their romance during an interview with the Associated Press in February 2017.
“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 told the outlet at the time. “I just don’t feel comfortable talking about my personal life … Me and my boyfriend don’t want to do that.”
While Bryan doesn’t have any children of his own, Mariah welcomed twins Monroe and Moroccan with her ex-husband Nick Cannon on April 30, 2011. The former couple tied the knot in 2008, and divorced in 2016. She was also married to Tommy Mottola from 1993 until 1998.
Despite dating for more than seven years, Mariah and Bryan made sure to keep details of their romance private and rarely made comments about each other during interviews. However, they did often share photos together on social media.
“This is one of my favorite pictures. Ever. Happy Anniversary my Beautiful Queen,” Bryan captioned a black and white photo of the couple via Instagram in March.
Rumors began to swirl that the couple called it quits when fans noticed Bryan didn’t seem to join Mariah on her Merry Christmas One and All! tour, which began in November.
The “Without You” singer continued to fuel speculation when she admitted that the past year had been difficult. “I’ve been looking forward to this Christmas for, like, the whole year. Since last year — because last year wasn’t the greatest,” she told People in an interview published on December 4. “I’m thankful for them all, but it wasn’t my most fun version of Christmas ever.”
