Tommy Mottola's name and past with Mariah Carey have come to the forefront of public attention once again following the ongoing scandal involving Diddy. Mottola, a former Sony Music executive and music industry mogul, was married to Carey during the height of her career in the 1990s.
Carey, a longtime friend of Diddy's, in her memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, accused Mottola of being racist towards Diddy. According to her, it was one of the few times she ever stood up to her ex-husband. She penned,
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"[T]ommy had shared his own opinion with me and my nephew Shawn: ‘Puffy will be shining my shoes in two years,’ I was stunned. Wait. What did he say? It was one of the very few times I stood up to Tommy, telling him that what he had said was blatantly racist. I was pissed.”
She also recalled an incident over dinner when Carey was asked about her thoughts on Diddy's music. She expressed her stance in favor of the now-disgraced mogul, but apparently, her then-husband was not happy. Tommy Mottola then threw a "tantrum" and stormed off. When he returned, he declared to the table that Thanksgiving was canceled.
Who is Tommy Mottola?
Tommy Mottola has a vast portfolio, including stints as a businessman, record executive, television producer, theater producer, film producer, investor, and entrepreneur. Currently, he is the Chairman of Mottola Media Group, cofounder of Ntertain Studios, and founding partner of Range Media Partners.
Furthermore, he was also the CEO of Sony Music Entertainment for about a decade and a half. During his run at Sony, he signed on several greats, such as Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Destiny's Child, Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, Shakira, and even the Dixie Chicks.
He has also worked with the late Michael Jackson from when he began working on his album, Dangerous. However, the two parted ways after Michael accused Mottola of being a "racist who exploited black talent" in July 2002, just after the two worked on Jackson's album, Invincible the previous year.
In his personal life, he has walked down the aisle thrice. The first time was in 1971 for his first wife, Lisa Clark, the other was for Mariah Carey in June 1993, and the third was his last time, in December 2000, for his now-wife Thalia. Carey and Mottola called it quits just five years after they got married in May 1997.
Tommy Mottola also boasts several awards for his philanthropy and influence, including the City of Hope Spirit of Life Award (1990), the Billboard Power Player of the Year Award (1993), the TJ Martell Foundation, Humanitarian of the Year Award, and the Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2019), among others.
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