logo
Getty Images
Getty Images

Tommy Mottola Met Mariah Carey When She Was a Restaurant Hostess — Look Back at Their Marriage

Edduin Carvajal
Jul 22, 2020
01:30 P.M.

Tommy Mottola, who is currently married to Mexican singer Thalia, was previously married to the "All I Want for Christmas Is You" singer, Mariah Carey.

Advertisement

When Carey and Mottola met for the first time in 1988, she was an 18-year-old restaurant hostess who lived in a poor neighborhood in Long Island, New York, and wanted to become a singer.

[Mottola's] relationship with Mariah Carey was "absolutely wrong and inappropriate."

Mariah Carey and Tommy Mottola attend the 'Salute to American Heroes Gala', 1995 | Photo: Getty Images

Mariah Carey and Tommy Mottola attend the 'Salute to American Heroes Gala', 1995 | Photo: Getty Images

Advertisement

TOMMY MOTTOLA AND MARIAH CAREY'S RELATIONSHIP

She went to a Manhattan industry party for a backup singer gig where Mottola happened to be. Since he was already in the music industry, he noticed Carey's talent and immediately accepted her demo tape.

After that, she was signed to Sony Music, where Mottola served as the chairman and CEO. With her eponymous album released in 1990, Mariah Carey's career skyrocketed. From that point on, she has never ceased to amaze.

Advertisement

At the time, Tommy Mottola was married to his first wife, Lisa Clark. However, after they parted ways, he and Carey started dating. In June 1993, when she was 24 years old, and he was about to turn 44, they tied the knot.

Shortly after their wedding, she described her and Mottola's relationship as a fairy tale. Unfortunately, they announced that their love story ended in 1997. A year later, they got divorced.

Advertisement

MOTTOLA WAS CONTROLLING, SAID CAREY

Both moved on and married again, but Carey made sure to describe her former husband as a controlling person who would try to keep her in their mansion despite the fact that she was already a pop icon. She said:

"You might want to picture a child bride […] It was very controlled. There was no freedom for me as a human being. It was almost like being a prisoner."

Advertisement

In 2013, Mottola made headlines after he published a book titled "Hitmaker: The Man and His Music," in which he wrote everything from anecdotes to music industry tidbits during his time as CEO of Sony Music.

One of the things that Tommy Mottola wrote was that his relationship with Mariah Carey was "absolutely wrong and inappropriate."

Advertisement

TOMMY MOTTOLA'S APOLOGY

After revealing that it was Carey who asked him to marry her, he apologized for the pain that he made her go through as a result of his actions that, according to him, came from nothing but good intentions.

Mariah Carey's ex-husband added that he felt sorry for the scars that their relationship left on his two oldest kids, Michael and Sarah, from his marriage to Lisa Clark.

Advertisement

As per Carey's claims of him being restrictive and controlling, Mottola pointed out that it was a lie. The former CEO of Sony Music felt it was important to set the record straight following the "harsh" way in which his second wife described him.

Shortly after his book hit the shelves, Tommy Mottola was interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter and revealed that he and Carey gave the marriage the best they could.

Advertisement

MARIAH CAREY AND TONY MOTTOLA'S CURRENT PARTNERS

He also revealed that, fortunately, both of them went on to have impressive careers and that he continued to be Carey's biggest fan.

Ten years after Mottola and Carey's failed marriage, she married actor, comedian, rapper and TV personality, Nick Cannon. Together, they have fraternal twins Moroccan and Monroe.

Sadly, they parted ways in 2014 and ended up getting divorced in 2016. After that, Carey dated and was engaged to Australian billionaire James Packer and, at the moment, is dating her backup dancer Bryan Tanaka.

Tommy Mottola, on the other hand, has been married to Mexican singer and actress Thalia since 2000. The couple has two children, daughter Sabrina, and son Matthew.

Advertisement
info
Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories!
By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy
Advertisement
Related posts

Richard Gere Promised 3rd Wife 'At Least 20 Good Years' Together When He Married Her at 68

May 11, 2022

Inside Richard Gere's Lavish Mansion He Shares with 33-Years-Younger Wife & 2 Kids He Welcomed after 69

May 03, 2022

Inside Dick Van Dyke & Decades Younger Wife’s Home Where He Shows off Routine He Says Will Get Him to 100

April 22, 2022

How Much Child Support Does Britney Spears Pay Kevin Federline?

May 16, 2022

Dick Van Dyke Says There Is ‘Not a Horse Thief’ Among His Sons & Daughters - Meet His 4 Children

February 19, 2022

Tom Brady & Pregnant Bridget Moynahan Split - She Wed Husband at Secret Ceremony 9 Years Later

February 20, 2022

Richard Gere’s Marriage to 33-Year-Younger Wife Who Once Slept on the Street Has ‘Strong Karmic Energy'

February 18, 2022

Kenny Rodgers Felt Responsible That 4 of His 5 Marriages Ended in Divorce: ‘I Take the Blame for It’

February 05, 2022

Celine Dion's Spouse 'Started to Cry' during Their 1st Meeting — Her Mom Was against Their Marriage

May 12, 2022

Loretta Lynn Fought for Her Beloved Husband Though He Called Other Women into Their Bed

October 04, 2022

Blue Bloods' Donnie Wahlberg Proposed to Jenny McCarthy With a Help of Her Son Who Gave Her 3 Paper Notes

January 29, 2022

Marlo Thomas’ Spouse Was a Virgin before Marriage to Mom of His 5 Kids & a Lousy Lover Afterward

February 03, 2022

George Clooney Believed He Would 'Never Get Married Again' or Be a Dad until He 'Hit the Jackpot'

March 13, 2022

Chrissy Metz's Ex-husband Martyn Eaden Filed for Divorce in 2014 — Her Love Life Flourished after They Split

January 26, 2022