Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka’s Relationship Timeline

Mariah Carey is single!

After more than seven years of dating, the “All I Want For Christmas Is You” singer and Bryan Tanaka split in late 2023.

The pair began working together professionally in 2006. A decade later, after Carey called it quits with fiancé James Packer, they began dating. Carey and Tanaka initially split after five months of dating, but they reunited just weeks later.

“Mariah is really happy,” a source told PEOPLE about their relationship in 2021. “He’s always doting on her and they have a great time together.”

The source added, “He’s also great with her kids,” referring to Carey’s twin children, Moroccan and Monroe, whom she shares with ex-husband Nick Cannon.

From onstage affection to Christmas trips and their eventual split, here’s a complete timeline of Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka’s relationship.

2006: Bryan Tanaka tours as a backup dancer with Mariah Carey

Tanaka and Carey have been linked professionally for a decade. Now the star’s creative director, Tanaka took the stage with Carey as a backup dancer on her 2006 Adventures of Mimi tour.

“Something connected with us back in the day and there was just a mutual admiration,” Tanaka told E! News about his early work with Carey. “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, some how.”

In 2014 Instagram post, Tanaka expressed his gratitude toward the singer, saying, “She has always supported me and been so kind.”

2016: Mariah Carey’s fiancé is allegedly jealous of her close relationship with Bryan Tanaka

It is believed that Packer was concerned about Carey’s closeness to Tanaka prior to the end of their engagement. According to reports, the Australian billionaire even confronted Tanaka after he showed up to Carey’s Las Vegas show despite not being able to perform due to an injury. Packer allegedly banned the dancer from the Caesars Palace show during the incident.

There is speculation that some of Packer’s jealousy stemmed from an onstage lap dance Carey gave Tanaka in May to (jokingly) help his injured knee.

“That moment when I got to go on stage for a second, it was a special moment in time for Mariah and myself. I felt like no one really understood what I was going through and just to get that little extra love from Mariah… I’m not gonna lie it made me feel a lot better,” Tanaka said of the dance on Mariah’s World.

By the looks of Tanaka’s Instagram account, he and the rest of The Sweet Sweet Fantasy tour crew enjoyed quality time with Carey when not working on the show. In Paris, he and fellow dancer Anthony Burrell watched the Eiffel Tower light up with Carey by their side.

Tanaka spent time with the superstar in a DJ booth and on her jet, and the group enjoyed a safari during the African leg of the tour as well. The smooth mover also made an appearance at Carey’s Halloween party during a break from shows.

When they weren’t performing, Tanaka was part of many of Carey’s official tour engagements: He appeared with her in her Complex cover photo shoot and fed her grapes as she lounged in a bathtub with Jimmy Kimmel.

October 27, 2016: Bryan Tanaka helps Mariah Carey enjoy a post-breakup night out

Shortly after news broke that Carey and Packer had ended their engagement, the singer gathered a group of friends, including Tanaka, for a night out in Malibu.

At the time, a source told PEOPLE that at the restaurant “she was with a group of friends. She had fun and sipped champagne. She was very dressed up, wore her engagement ring and seemed in a great mood. She wanted to show James that she isn’t sitting at home crying. She doesn’t seem too concerned.”

November 2016: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka spend Thanksgiving weekend together

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The duo sent relationship rumors into overdrive when they were spotted engaging in some intense beach PDA over Thanksgiving weekend. They frolicked in the waves at Maui’s Grand Wailea Resort in Hawaii when Carey wasn’t enjoying the holiday with her family.

December 2, 2016: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka hold hands onstage in N.Y.C.

Since rumors of the pair’s intimate relationship began, fans have been paying extra-close attention to Carey and Tanaka’s onstage interactions, including when he held hands with Carey as she belted her classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You” at the VH1 Divas: Unsilent Night show in December.

December 5, 2016: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka dance together

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Just a few days later, their chemistry sparked in N.Y.C. Beacon Theatre as they danced alongside each other once again.

December 2016: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka’s relationship blossoms on Mariah’s World

Carey’s eight-episode reality show Mariah’s World gave us an unprecedented look at how the performers’ relationship developed.

In a promo for the series that Tanaka shared on Instagram, an off-screen voiceover notes that “he’s always had a huge crush on her,” as clips of Carey canoodling with the dancer play on-screen.

Tanaka also teased his role in the show when he chatted with E! News at the premiere party. “Just make sure you tune into the show and you’ll see kind of how everything happened,” he said.

January 14, 2017: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka have date night in London

Carey and Tanaka continued to be seen in public — including on a London dinner date — even as Mariah’s World showed the odd place their relationship was in last year, with Tanaka having to see Carey and then-fiancé Packer together.

“Seeing Mariah and James connect is super weird for me because I haven’t really seen it before,” Tanaka said on one episode. “I feel like I’ve been living in this fantasy for a while and all of a sudden this is like a big reality check.”

February 14, 2017: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka take a Valentine’s Day bath together

Carey shared a photo of their special Valentine’s Day celebration on Instagram. In the pic, the pair cuddles up in a tub while enjoying some pink drinks. “Happy Valentine’s Day!! #happyvalentinesday #happy #moments #bubbles,” the star captioned the Instagram, along with kiss and heart emojis.

February 2017: Mariah Carey subtly confirms that Bryan Tanaka is 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,” Carey said in an interview with the Associated Press. “I just don’t feel comfortable talking about my personal life … Me and my boyfriend don’t want to do that.”

February 2017: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka confirm their relationship with an Instagram kiss

Carey and Tanaka seemed to try out a no-holds-barred PDA policy when they finally went public with their relationship status.

In February, they shared matching Instagram pictures of a kiss with the caption, “‘No one knows what it means, but it’s provocative … it gets the people going!’ ”

March 2017: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka have a dinner date in L.A.

The next month, they were spotted wearing matching outfits on an L.A. date night. “Both were in a great mood, smiling, giggling and taking photos of the dishes,” a source told PEOPLE.

March 27, 2017: Mariah Carey celebrates her 47th birthday with Bryan Tanaka

Rather than ringing in birthdays, the “Touch My Body” crooner only celebrates amazing anniversaries — and this year was no different.

In honor of the star’s big day on March 27, Carey took a trip with Tanaka, who posted photos on Instagram showing the seaside resort where the lovebirds were celebrating. “Starting the anniversary festivities in a relaxing chic environment,” he wrote in a photo featuring Carey.

April 2017: Mariah Carey breaks up with Bryan Tanaka

TMZ first reported that Carey broke things off with Tanaka over several issues, including jealousy and expenses. After the breakup, a source told PEOPLE that Carey’s relationship with Tanaka was a rebound from her engagement with Packer.

“The split happened very recently,” they said. “Mariah ended it — everyone hoped that she would. She has better things to focus on. Mariah is happy. She is focusing on her kids and new music.”

The insider added, “Bryan was a good distraction after she split from James. This is a good time for her to be single and focus on herself.”

May 19, 2017: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka spotted kissing after breakup

A month after Carey and Tanaka hit the brakes on their relationship, the pair were spotted kissing while out at dinner in Beverly Hills. The PDA-friendly couple were also seen eating food from each other’s forks during their date.

Around the same time, Carey sparked even more speculation that their relationship was back on by posting a nostalgic photo of one of her and Tanaka’s date nights.

June 2, 2017: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka spotted holding hands after having dinner

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Then, in early June, the pair was spotted out in Beverly Hills again, holding hands as they left dinner at Mastro’s Steakhouse together. Their giant smiles seem to be enough of a hint that things were heating up once again between these former flames.

December 4, 2017: Mariah Carey and her children go Christmas tree shopping with Bryan Tanaka

To celebrate the holidays, Carey and her twin children, Monroe and Moroccan, bought a Christmas tree on the streets of N.Y.C. Tanaka joined the family for tree shopping, and Carey posted an image on Instagram of him holding her up at the tree lot.

December 5, 2017: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka dance together during Carey’s N.Y.C. Christmas concert

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During Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” concert at N.Y.C.’s Beacon Theatre, Carey and Tanaka danced together onstage as she performed her hit holiday song.

December 18, 2017: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka have date night in L.A.

In between shows from Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” Las Vegas concert residency, Carey and Tanaka took a trip to L.A. to have dinner at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills.

December 28, 2017: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka spend Christmas together in Aspen

After concluding her “All I Want for Christmas Is You” concert residency in Las Vegas, Carey, her twins and Tanaka spent Christmas in Aspen, Colorado. In between hitting the slopes, the pop superstar shared photos on Instagram of her many outfits during their vacation.

January 16, 2018: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka wear all black for dinner in Malibu

While grabbing dinner in Malibu, Carey and Tanaka matched in all black clothing, with the singer wearing an oversized black Louis Vuitton poncho.

The couple was spotted again leaving a restaurant in Beverly Hills the following night. This time, Carey and Tanaka wore a bit more color.

April 10, 2018: Mariah Carey celebrates Bryan Tanaka’s 35th birthday

Just days after revealing her battle with bipolar disorder in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Carey celebrated Tanaka’s 35th birthday as the couple went out to dinner at Mastro’s Steak House in Beverly Hills.

October 31, 2019: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka carve pumpkins with Carey’s children

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On Instagram, Carey shared images of Tanaka and her children engaging in the Halloween tradition of carving Jack-o’-Lanterns to celebrate the holiday.

November 28, 2019: Mariah Carey celebrates Thanksgiving with Bryan Tanaka, Nick Cannon and twin children

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Carey spent Thanksgiving surrounded by her loved ones, including Tanaka, ex-husband Cannon and her twin children. She shared photos of the celebratory feast on Instagram.

“Happy Thanksgiving! Thankful for all the blessings in my life ?❤️,” she captioned the pictures.

December 2019: Mariah Carey celebrates Christmas in Aspen with Bryan Tanaka, Nick Cannon and her children

As they did in 2017, Carey and Tanaka spent the holidays together in Aspen, Colorado. Joining them was Cannon and their twin children, Moroccan and Monroe.

Carey posted several photos from the trip on Instagram, including a few of her posing with daughter Monroe in the snow.

December 2021: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka spend Christmas together again in Aspen

In what has almost become an annual holiday tradition, Carey and Tanaka spent Christmas together in Aspen, Colorado. The couple hit the ski slopes and enjoyed the snow.

Carey posted a photo of the two boarding a plane to their holiday destination on Instagram. A source told PEOPLE that the couple’s relationship had grown stronger recently.

“Mariah is really happy,” the source told PEOPLE. “He’s always doting on her, and they have a great time together. He’s also great with her kids.”

February 5, 2022: Mariah Carey shares a romantic video featuring Bryan Tanaka on Snapchat

To promote Snapchat’s Spotlight feature, Carey launched the “Always Be My Baby” challenge by encouraging users to utilize her hit song in a romantic video to win a cash prize.

In Carey’s own challenge video, she received a tray with two glasses, a champagne bottle and a heart-shaped chocolate box from Tanaka. After he poured a glass of bubbly for Carey and himself, she toasted the camera.

February 15, 2022: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka celebrate “Hour 23” of Valentine’s Day

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While most people keep their Valentine’s Day celebrations to February 14, Carey and Tanaka extended their holiday to the following day. She posted a selfie of the couple on Instagram with the caption “Valentine’s marathon continues. Hour 23!”

November 4, 2022: Bryan Tanaka wears Mariah Carey merch on N.Y.C. stroll with the pop star

On the streets of N.Y.C., the choreographer was spotted wearing a white T-shirt emblazoned with an image from Carey’s 1997 Butterfly album photoshoot. He paired the merch with a bomber jacket, distressed black jeans and a pair of Air Jordans. But all eyes were on the We Belong Together singer who donned a black mini dress, platform peep toe heels and a knee-length leather coat.

December 26, 2022: Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka celebrate Boxing Day together

Carey posted a sweet photo on Instagram of her and Tanaka smiling at a dining table. In the photo, the singer wore a red-and-black dress while Tanaka looked cozy in a back turtleneck. “Happy Boxing Day! ❄️🎄❤️ (Every day is a celebration! 🎉🎉🎁),” Carey wrote in the caption.

March 27, 2023: Bryan Tanaka celebrates Mariah Carey’s 54th birthday

In honor of his girlfriend’s birthday, which Carey prefers to call her “anniversary,” Tanaka shared one of his “favorite pictures” of the songstress on Instagram.

“Happy Anniversary my Beautiful Queen,” he captioned a black-and-white selfie with Carey.

December 26, 2023: Bryan Tanaka confirms split from Mariah Carey

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In a statement on Instagram, Tanaka announced his split from Carey.

“With mixed emotions, I share this personal update regarding my amicable separation from Mariah Carey after seven extraordinary years together,” he wrote. “Our decision to embark on different paths is mutual, and as we navigate these separate journeys, we do so with profound respect and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the invaluable time we’ve shared. The memories we’ve created and the artistic collaborations are etched in my heart forever.”

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Source: HIS Education