Mariah Carey’s relationship with her brother, Morgan, took a dramatic turn as they became embroiled in a public feud and legal battle. Discover the details behind their shattered bond, the explosive lawsuit, and the deep-rooted family issues that tore them apart.
Mariah Carey owes part of her early success to her brother, Morgan Carey, who helped launch her music career. However, their relationship unraveled over time as family tensions grew, leading to years of estrangement.
Mariah Carey spotted in Aspen, Colorado, on December 23, 2023. | Source: Getty Images
In 2021, their relationship hit a new low when Morgan sued Mariah over claims made in her memoir, bringing their private rift into the public eye. Take a look at their relationship over the years and the details behind their bitter feud.
Mariah and Morgan Carey backstage at the American Music Awards, circa 1991. | Source: Getty Images
According to reports, Mariah Carey’s older brother, Morgan Carey, played a pivotal role in her early career. Morgan, who had already carved out a successful career as a fitness trainer in Los Angeles, saw something special in his younger sister.
Mariah and Morgan Carey, circa 1991. | Source: Getty Images
Morgan reportedly once boldly claimed, “There wouldn’t be a Mariah Carey if it hadn’t been for me.” However, despite growing up together and the significant role Morgan played in Mariah’s early success, the siblings’ relationship fell apart over the years.
Mariah Carey at the 89th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Rehearsals on November 24, 2015, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
Morgan’s frustrations with Mariah stemmed from the global superstar seemingly distancing herself from their family’s struggles. In particular, Morgan was critical of Mariah’s perceived lack of support during their sister Alison Carey’s ongoing crises.
Alison, who was HIV-positive, faced numerous challenges, including legal troubles related to prostitution charges in 2016. Despite her public pleas for help, Mariah remained largely silent, as the two reportedly had a complex relationship.
He had choice words for the “Fantasy singer,” publicly expressing his disappointment in her failure to be there for Alison during her times of need. Tragically, in August 2024, Alison and the siblings’ mother, Patricia, passed away on the same day.
In a heartfelt statement, Mariah expressed her grief, saying, “My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day.” The causes of their deaths were not disclosed at the time, leaving a cloud of sadness over the family.
The 2021 Lawsuit
By 2021, the already fragile relationship between Mariah and her older brother had deteriorated further, resulting in a defamation lawsuit that brought their personal disputes into the public eye.
Morgan took legal action against Mariah following the release of her memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” published in September 2021. The book, which detailed Mariah’s struggles during her poverty-stricken childhood and her early career, also contained descriptions that Morgan claimed were false and damaging to his reputation.
Mariah Carey with her memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey.” | Source: YouTube/Mariah Carey
Morgan, ten years Mariah’s senior and based in Italy, alleged that her memoir falsely depicted him as a violent individual during their upbringing. He further claimed that Mariah’s portrayal of him in the memoir led to the loss of a film project that he had been negotiating at the time.
In his lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Morgan asserted that “many passages about [him] in the book are false and defamatory, personally invasive and painful, and have caused serious damage to his reputation and to his personal and business affairs.”
The lawsuit, as described in court documents, emphasized that Morgan “brings this action more in sorrow and disappointment in his sister’s betrayals and malicious falsehoods than in anger at them.” Morgan highlighted several passages from the memoir, which he insisted were nothing more than “mere gossip and of prurient interest.”
Mariah Carey on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” in 2020. | Source: Getty Images
He particularly took issue with the portrayal of him as violent toward their father, arguing that the true nature of the relationship was one where he was the victim of their father’s misplaced rage.
Morgan also disputed an account in the memoir where Mariah alleged that he had once “slammed” their mother, Patricia Carey, into a wall. Morgan insisted that this accusation was false, pointing out that everyone knew how close he had been to their mother.
Additionally, Morgan contested a passage in the memoir that suggested he had attempted to extort money from Mariah. The excerpt referred to a time when Morgan had lent Mariah $5,000 to record her breakout album, which he claimed was misrepresented in the book.
Before her death, Alison also filed a lawsuit against Mariah, demanding $1.25 million for emotional distress caused by the memoir. Alison’s lawsuit specifically targeted the chapter titled “Dandelion Tea,” alleging that Mariah’s book made unfounded claims against her, including accusations of abuse.
The lawsuit stated that despite knowing her sister was “damaged” and “broken” from past traumatic events, Mariah used her fame to attack her “penniless sister” to promote her memoir.
Mariah’s memoir painted a picture of a devastating childhood and suggested that her family continued to torment her into adulthood. She portrayed Morgan as a destructive force throughout her life, both as a child and an adult.
The memoir even included an account of their mother once calling the police on her during an argument, further underscoring the dysfunction within the Carey family. However, in 2022, a New York judge dismissed most of Morgan’s defamation claims, though Mariah was still required to face two of the remaining claims.
Mariah Carey spotted in New York on October 10, 2022. | Source: Getty Images
ustice Barbara Jaffe of the state Supreme Court in Manhattan ruled in a 29-page decision that Morgan could proceed with a lawsuit over passages in the memoir that suggested he distributed narcotics.
Yet, the judge dismissed claims concerning seven other passages, including one that described a fight between Morgan and their father that required police intervention.
Mariah Carey performing at the Global Citizen Festival on September 24, 2022, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
While the judge acknowledged that the passage “reasonably conveys a defamatory inference that [Morgan] was abusive toward his family,” she noted that Morgan had failed to demonstrate that he suffered “special damages” as a result of harm to his reputation.
Additionally, the judge dismissed the claims against the memoir’s publishers, stating that it wasn’t clear how Mariah’s “alleged vindictiveness” indicated that the publishers knew the disputed passages were false or had serious doubts about their truthfulness.
Mariah Carey seen shopping in Aspen, Colorado, on December 27, 2023. | Source: Getty Images
Following these developments, Mariah responded by filing a counterclaim against Morgan, seeking to recover the costs of her legal fees. Her legal team argued that Mariah was likely to win the case because the statements in question were “true or substantially true.”
They also contended that the statements about Morgan were not published with “actual malice,” a crucial legal standard that Morgan needed to prove in his defamation case.
Mariah Carey photographed “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in Los Angeles, California, on November 2, 2023. | Source: Getty Images
In response, Morgan requested that the judge reject Mariah’s counterclaim on the grounds that both Mariah and her lawyers allegedly failed to sign a verification, which is a sworn statement affirming the truth of their legal filings.
As Mariah Carey and her older brother’s relationship unraveled over the years, it led to a highly publicized legal battle that exposed deep family rifts. Despite their shared history, the Carey siblings’ relationship seemed irreparably damaged by accusations, legal disputes, and unresolved familial tensions.
