Mariah Carey and Anderson .Paak sparked dating rumors back in December, and three months later, it looks like things are definitely heating up between them. Carey was honored with the Icon award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday night, and by her side in the audience was .Paak, who helped her onto the stage.
The 55-year-old icon looked incredible for her big night, and as LL Cool J welcomed her to the stage, the "Make It Better" singer stood up to assist her. He was beaming with pride as he smiled at the "Emotions" singer, who proudly accepted her award.
When she got on stage, the Christmas queen hilariously (but likely seriously) quipped, “Is the lighting okay? ’Cause I don’t like bad lighting. Is it okay?”
The singer went on to thank the president of iHeartRadio, DJs, interns, and her fans, and she took a moment to honor her mother, Patricia, who passed away in August 2024—the same day as her sister. “And on this St. Patrick’s Day, I want to honor my mother, Patricia Carey, for giving me the gift of music,” she said.
Carey and .Paak romance rumors
The two first sparked dating rumors back in December when Carey was spotted with .Paak on what looked like a dinner date in Aspen, Colorado, three days before Christmas on December 22.
Once Carey’s Christmas Time tour wrapped, she headed to Aspen, where they were seen walking hand in hand at Catch Steak, with .Paak holding her close.
However, an insider told Page Six at the time that they weren’t romantically involved and were actually working on new music together at Carey’s Aspen studio.
They're both on their single journey. .Paak filed for divorce from his wife, Jae Lin, in January 2024. The former couple shares two children, Soul Rasheed (14) and Shine Tariq (7), and according to AP, they got married in 2010.
He was also spotted on a steamy vacation in Mexico with Dutch musician Sterre Marith Tapilatu, but that romance seemed to fizzle out as quickly as it started.
As for Carey, it’s been over two years since she and dancer Bryan Tanaka broke up after more than seven years together. If she and .Paak are really an item, this marks her first major relationship since the split.