Inside Mariah Carey's Rocky Relationship With Luis Miguel & What Led To Their Breakup
Mariah Carey and Luis Miguel have offered glimpses into their high-profile romance through her memoir and his series, respectively. But the true story seems to lie somewhere between their two perspectives, and connecting the dots provides a much clearer view of what led to their breakup. In the sensationalized "Luis Miguel: The Series," the Latin superstar first spots Carey while having dinner at a restaurant and goes out of his way to buy her dream house for her, essentially forcing the "Honey" hitmaker to talk to him. However, in "The Meaning of Mariah Carey," the legendary singer writes that their meeting was a blind date orchestrated by her real-estate agent.
"It was a simple scheme: They told the mystery man that I really wanted to meet him, and they told me that he wanted to meet me," Carey recalled. Miguel was incredibly famous in Latin America at the time (it was 1998) and had dated many top Hollywood stars by that point including Salma Hayek. One thing both parties agree on is that he drank heavily at their dinner. As the "All I Want For Christmas" songstress wrote, "I had just met this guy, and he was drunk off his a**! I was thinking to myself, 'We're not going anywhere with this; it's not going to work.'"
But Miguel pulled the ultimate Cassanova move, sending her a Bulgari diamond necklace the following day. Although Carey obviously makes a lot of money herself (especially every Christmas season), she was impressed. The Grammy winner confirmed, "I soon learned that was his way; he was an authentic, over-the-top Latin lover, for real." Naturally, both versions of their love story also agree that Miguel was extravagant and romantic. But sadly, this couldn't mend the cracks that soon began to show in Carey and Miguel's relationship.
They were simply too different to make it work in the long run
In "The Meaning of Mariah Carey," the prolific performer revealed a stark difference between her and Luis Miguel that hinted at a much deeper lack of compatibility. "Our friends were total opposites. His were more conservative, serious and uptight and boring, while I'd have Brat, Tots, Trey, and whoever popping all around," she wrote. But an even bigger issue was that Miguel refused to acknowledge her identity as a Black woman. "He would always insist that he didn't see me as Black. We'd have these arguments [...] But in his mind, if I didn't look Black, I wasn't. For him it was simply skin deep," Carey sadly shared.
Her memoir also briefly mentioned that Miguel had his own hardships to contend with, but "Luis Miguel: The Series" offers a clearer look at his struggles during their time together in particular. Not only did he have a traumatic relationship with his father, but the Mexican icon was deeply unsatisfied and battled anxiety, which Carey described as a "dark cloud hanging over his head." Ultimately, though, they just weren't right for each other.
"I tried my best to support him emotionally, but I was going through my own s**t, and it got to a point where I could no longer deal with it. We were not helping each other heal," she admitted. This was the wake-up call that they were better off apart, with Carey reasoning, "We had a good run, and I still have fond memories, but ultimately, he wasn't the one." They split in 2001. Carey married Nick Cannon in 2008, but Miguel only wed in 2024.