Derek Jeter is more than happily married; a dad of four – three daughters and one son. But back in the day, when the 5x World Series Champion was still playing, he was quite the lady’s man and known as the Yankees’ bad boy. Jeter had a rather long list of high-profile romantic escapades. Among them, the biggest headline-grabbing fling was his one-year fairytale with mega popstar Mariah Carey, filled with its own amusing stories.
In her memoir ‘The Meaning of Mariah Carey’, the six-time Grammy winner dives into several interesting stories from the couple’s fling, that spanned from 1997 to 1998 – like the morning after the first time they slept together. Mariah Carey innocently breaks down the wholesome morning that followed.
“I remember waking up the next day, enthusiastically thinking, I’m going to make breakfast for him! Just like in the movies. tiptoed down to the kitchen with passion tousled hair, wearing his oversized Yankees jersey.”
(1998) Derek Jeter and Mariah Carey. pic.twitter.com/MiCQnFNLoL
— Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) December 2, 2017
Wearing Jeter’s oversized number 2 Yankees jersey, Mariah Carey reached the kitchen, hoping to surprise the shortstop with breakfast in bed. But those plans instantly fell apart, when she opened the door to an almost-empty fridge with barely 3 eggs. But while breakfast-in-bed plans ran into the ground, something else fell perfectly into place. While rummaging for breakfast, she bumped into Derek’s sister, Sharlee Jeter, and the two hit it off instantly, as Mariah later recounted.
“I looked in the refrigerator to find three lonely eggs and not much else. His sister found me searching, and we laughed at my foiled rom-com plans. She was kind, and I related to her instantly. I didn’t know many mixed-race young women. She was beautiful, with an open heart and an honest laugh.”
View this post on Instagram
Unlike Jeter, Mariah Carey is single after a seven-year-long relationship with dancer Bryan Tanaka came to an end in late 2023.
Mariah Carey wrote two songs for Derek Jeter
There is no question about the kind of impact the superstar shortstop had on Mariah Carey. In 2020, Mariah Carey specifically mentioned that Derek Jeter played a big role in her unhappy marriage with Tommy Mottola.
Moreover, Mariah penned two songs inspired by her seemingly serious fling with Derek Jeter. “The Roof” captured the couple’s first kiss on the rooftop of his apartment, and “My All” was about the time she risked her marriage to meet the shortstop in another country.
Looking back, their relationship seemed almost perfect, checking all the boxes. Except, it ultimately came to an end in 1998. According to Entertainment Weekly, the couple succumbed to the constant media pressure and parted ways eventually.
