Amid Breakup Rumors, Mariah Carey Promotes…the White House?

Breaking up is tough and breaking up during the holidays when you’re the unofficial “Queen of Christmas” and have to keep singing about how badly you want some hottie to come and make your wishes come true, I imagine, especially sucks. So far be it from me to judge anyone on how they’re coping with the painful loss of a longtime partner. Except I’m going to judge Mariah Carey a little lolololol.

On Tuesday, Carey posted an Instagram slideshow of a recent trip she took to the White House with her 12-year-old twins to meet President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris (and first second gentlemen, Doug!). Which is fine? I guess? It’s important to keep teaching kids about government in the hopes that some of them might one day fix it.

“Last week I had the pleasure of meeting President Biden & Vice President Harris at the White House to ring in the holiday season!” she captioned the slideshow. “While there, we got to see all the festive decor and spread some cheer!” (All I Want for Christmas Is a Ceasefire…?!)

Carey can obviously do whatever she wants, and I’m sure she’s blissfully offline and probably has a team to handle all her social posts. I just find it so funny that she decided to post these eight photos —of a trip she took a week ago—the day after multiple outlets reported that she and Bryan Tanaka, her partner of seven years, had broken up.

Carey was spotted without Tanaka during her annual Aspen trip on Monday. And on Wednesday, Page Six reported in an “exclusive” that the longtime couple split partly because of their 14-year age gap—Tanaka’s 40 and Carey’s 54. Specifically, Tanaka “wants to have a family” and also “wants to start having his own life.” (Carey shares her twins, Moroccan and Monroe, with ex-husband Nick Cannon, whom she was married from 2008 to 2016.)

But Tanaka has also been absent from her tour, which started in November, so we don’t have a clear timeline here. Still, I’m no PR guru, I just think for your first Instagram post-breakup rumors, at least, you could flex a little harder. Or you could simply, not post a week-old publicity photo with a guy who won’t say the word abortion and is seemingly the sole person holding up the ceasefire in Gaza. But we all handle heartbreak differently.

• J.Lo says she and Ben Affleck still “both have PTSD” from the media attention their romance got when they first dated in 2002. That sucks but I also still have PTSD from watching Gigli. [Variety]
• Serena Williams says she recently donated her breast milk, or “super soldier milk,” which is an incredible gesture, and I’d love an update on those babies’ backhand in about 18 years. [People]
• Hulk Hogan was baptized at 70 and gave “total surrender” to Jesus. Happy birthday Baby J? [Page Six]
• Kevin McHale said he started rumors about Lea Michele and Cory Monteith dating to make Glee more popular…but had no idea they were already dating at the time. So crazy! And ugh, RIP Corey <3 [Entertainment Weekly]
• The NFL released a cartoon in partnership with Nickelodeon to promote all their Christmas Day games. And they drew Travis Kelce making a little friendship bracelet. (You know, because of Taylor Swift.) It’s cute. [People]