Mariah Carey Hires Herself

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Mariah Carey Hires Herself

Tue., Sep. 9, 2008 6:44 PM PDT by Ken Baker and Matt Donnelly

Nancy Kaszerman/ZUMA Press ; AP Photo/ Peter Kramer

Mariah Carey is her own replacement.

E! News has exclusively confirmed that the Grammy winner has found a different role for longtime talent manager Benny Medina and will now be representing herself.

Carey and Medina, who have worked together for more than five years, both say that they will continue to collaborate: Medina's Handprint Entertainment will continue to develop content for, and with, the singer, but Carey's own Maroon Entertainment will be managing her career.

Initial reports from outlets such as the New York Post's Page Six and the New York Daily News said Tuesday that Carey, 38, had dumped Medina, possibly Medina had been "courting" his former client (and reported Carey rival) Jennifer Lopez.

But Carey and Medina turned to E! to clear up the speculation and explain the terms of their new relationship.

"Press Reports have not been accurate," Carey said in a statement. "Benny Medina and I will continue to work together on projects both present and in the future. I'm looking forward to working with Benny on what we have been developing, and to his continued involvement in my creative life."

A source close to the situation tells E! that the revised deal is really driven by what Mariah feels is the best way to streamline her own company, Maroon Entertainment.

Medina, who recently parted ways with Usher, issued the following statement to us:

"Being as involved as I have been over the last five years, I am reminded how great teamwork leads to great success. This affords me the opportunity to work on some great projects with Mariah, including the upcoming tour, an HBO Christmas movie and a variety music show for CBS, as well as to pursue some of my other [productional] interests."