Mariah Carey, 54, and boyfriend Bryan Tanaka, 40, set breakup rumors flying after he’s absent from the start of her Christmas tour
Mariah Carey’s die-hard fans are wondering if the iconic diva and her younger boyfriend Bryan Tanaka may have gone their separate ways.
The 54-year-old songstress and the 40-year-old backup dancer sparked breakup rumors after her concert on Wednesday night at the Yaamava’ Resort & Casino in Highland, California.
Bryan regularly shows off his dance moves at her shows going back more than a decade, but audience members shared on social media that they had noticed he was nowhere to be seen.
Others were of the opinion that Mariah — who will be giving her modern Christmas classic All I Want For Christmas Is You its awards show debut at the Billboard Music Awards — looked downbeat, and some complained about her alleged low-energy performance.
Adding to concerns about a potential breakup was Bryan’s total absence on the hitmaker’s Instagram profile since December 2022.
Trouble in paradise? Mariah Carey’s die-hard fans shared their concerns that she and her boyfriend Bryan Tanaka might have split after her Christmas concert on Wednesday
MIA: Eagle-eyed fans noticed he was missing from her dancing ensemble despite being a major part of her tours going back more than a decade
‘We need Bryan Tanaka back!’ wrote one person on X (formerly known as Twitter) after reposting a video of Mariah’s performance at the casino.
She was dressed in a sparkling red sequined bodysuit that highlighted her legs and featured thick shoulders and gold epaulets.
There wasn’t any sight of her boyfriend as she began singing the introduction to her perennial Christmas hit All I Want For Christmas Is You.
While singing, she moved toward the front of the stage while taking small, robotic steps and barely moving her upper body.
She also didn’t appear to show off as wide a smile as she has in some past performances, while some moments from the clip even betrayed what looked like a strained expression.
‘I don’t see Bryan Tanaka. Where is he?’ added another concerned fan in response to a clip with a wider angle that showed more of her backup dancing ensemble.
‘She looks depressed, like something is going on behind the scenes..’ speculated another fan.
Mariah’s last Instagram post featuring Bryan appears to be from a December 26, when the two beaming lovebirds posed cheek to cheek to mark Boxing Day.
She also included a sweet photo of her 12-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe, whom she shares with her ex-husband Nick Cannon.
She and the Wild ‘N Out host were married from 2008 to 2016.
Bryan’s last post featuring Mariah was a black-and-white photo he shared on March 27 to celebrate Mariah’s birthday (which she refers to as her anniversary).
‘This is one of my favorite pictures. Ever,’ he wrote, though it wasn’t clear if the photo was taken on that day or was older. ‘Happy Anniversary my Beautiful Queen. 3/27 ❤️.’
Bryan hasn’t shared a single post to his Instagram since June 19, leading some in the comments on videos of Mariah’s latest performance to speculate about his fate.
By her side: Tanaka has been dancing on Mariah’s tours since 2006, according to Page Six; seen September 2022 in NYC
Fan reactions: Several fans wondered about Bryan’s apparent absence, while others thought that the diva was looking downbeat
The end? Mariah’s last Instagram post featuring Bryan appears to be from a December 26, when the two beaming lovebirds posed cheek to cheek to mark Boxing Day
That’s all she wrote: Bryan’s last post featuring Mariah was a black-and-white photo he shared on March 27 to celebrate her birthday, though it wasn’t clear if the photo was taken on that day
He and the Always Be My Baby singer began their professional relationship when he joined her as a backup dancer in 2006 on her Adventures of Mimi tour.
‘Something connected with us back in the day and there was just a mutual admiration,’ he told E! News in 2016. ‘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 2016, Mariah ended her engagement to James Packer, and she and Bryan began a new relationship shortly afterward. The two seemed to confirm that they were dating when they were spotted showing off some PDA at the beach over the Thanksgiving weekend that year.
Though they briefly split in 2017, they were back together by later that year and have since displayed a loving, if low-key, relationship ever since.
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