Between 1997 and 1998, Mariah Carey found herself in a whirlwind romance with baseball star Derek Jeter, all while still technically married to her first husband, Tommy Mottola. In her memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the singer revealed the emotional risks she took while dating Jeter before her divorce from Mottola was finalized.
Carey, who had separated from Mottola a year earlier, met Jeter at a dinner party. Initially, she thought little of him until discovering their shared heritage of having an Irish mother and Black father. This connection became the spark for their bond.
“Derek was definitely no longer pedestrian; he was closer to a Prince Charming,” Carey wrote. Their relationship quickly developed through discreet conversations, which Carey compared to an escape from the controlling environment of her marriage. She likened her home with Mottola to a prison, even referring to it as “Sing Sing.”
Despite the danger of Mottola’s wrath, Carey felt the risk of seeing Jeter was worth it. Their first kiss, shared on Jeter’s rooftop, inspired her to write one of her most personal songs, “The Roof,” capturing the passion of the moment.
“I truly believed I was actually risking my life, but I felt life wasn’t worth living if I couldn’t have what I’d had that night,” Carey explained, calling Jeter her “soul mate” and detailing how she ached to be near him again.
Once her separation from Mottola was official, Carey and Jeter were able to date openly. The relationship left a lasting mark on Carey’s music, influencing some of her most iconic love songs.
