Mariah Carey and James Packer Break Up: Reports

Singer and businessman call off their wedding nine months after getting engaged, according to an Australian magazine

By Zach Johnson Oct 27, 2016 4:30 PMTags

Mariah Carey and James Packer have ended their engagement, according to multiple reports.

Carey has told Nick Cannon about the breakup, a source told E! News, "but they "have not discussed it at length." (Over the weekend, the two celebrated Halloween early with their 5-year-old twins.)

Neither Carey nor Packer has publicly commented on the reported breakup. Australian tabloid Woman's Day was the first to report the split, with TMZ shortly after claiming the duo called it quits.

The former couple met in 2014 at a movie premiere in Aspen, Colo. "We were talking and laughing, and people were getting mad at us and stuff like that," Carey told Steve Harvey in 2015. "So, we hit it off."

Packer, a billionaire businessman who hails from Australia, popped the question in January 2016, presenting Carey with 35-carat diamond ring. "It's so heavy I can't lift my arm up!" the singer later joked in an exclusive interview with E! News' Melanie Bromley. The "Fantasy" singer described Packer's proposal in her hometown as "very romantic," saying, "He's an exceptional person, and really...it gets more romantic by the day. So, it's very sweet."

At the time, Carey also revealed she wanted the nuptials to happen ASAP. "If everything works out, it will be somewhat soon," she said. Since both of them had been married twice before, she added, "We are not doing a big wedding...We would rather make it beautiful but humble."

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Mariah Carey Talks New E! Series "Mariah's World"
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In February, Carey confirmed that wedding plans were already well underway. "I've picked a lot of things that I can't tell," the singer told E! News, "but you've already seen the ring so...POW!"

Six months later, Carey was similarly tight-lipped when E! News asked for a wedding update. "I can't really answer them because we're trying to talk it through," the five-time Grammy Award winner teased. "It's like some things are a surprise, some things are like, 'How do we fit them into the schedule?' So, everybody just has to wait and see, including me. We're figuring it out."

But did she have a date in mind?

"Like tonight? Do I have a date tonight?" she joked. "I can't answer these questions."

Carey is in the midst of her Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour, with the next show scheduled for Nov. 8 in Mexico City. On Tuesday, Carey announced that she had been forced to cancel her upcoming concerts in Argentina, Brazil and Chile, due to promoter negligence. "To all of my lambs in South America, I am devastated that a portion of this tour had to be cancelled," the singer told E! News. "Thank you for all of the excitement and love—I hope to see you soon, my darlings!"

The singer will end her year on a high note, though, as her E! docu-series, Mariah's World, debuts Dec. 4. Packer will appear in several episodes. "He's a businessman, and that's, like, his world, and I don't try to permeate that situation. I think he's been very cool in allowing some moments, but you can't…he's not an entertainer," Carey told E! News in August. "He's not a professional entertainer. That's not what he does. So, I can't expect him to change his whole thing because, like, 'Oh, no, you've got to be, like, interviewed constantly and this and that.'"

Mariah's World premieres Dec. 4 at 9 p.m., only on E!