Mariah Carey and Anderson .Paak Hold Hands at Movie Date

Nearly two years of will-they-won’t-they just got a lot more interesting. Mariah Carey and Anderson .Paak were spotted holding hands at Century City Mall in Los Angeles on Thursday night, catching a screening of The Devil Wears Prada 2 — and the footage, obtained by TMZ, is hard to explain away as just two friends grabbing popcorn.

In the clip, the two can be seen lined up at the AMC concessions stand before walking in and out of the theater together, hand-in-hand. Both dressed to impress: Carey, 57, wore a chic black dress with platform heels, a matching blazer, a lariat-style belt, and a glittering necklace. .Paak, 40, matched her energy in a black suit with sparkling pinstripes, an open collar, round sunglasses, and his own necklace. Coordinated outfits for a movie night? That’s not nothing.

Reps for both stars did not return comment requests.

How the Rumors Started

This goes back to December 2024, when the pair were first photographed holding hands heading into Catch Steak in Aspen — a destination that, as anyone who follows celebrity gossip knows, is basically shorthand for romance. Eyewitnesses told TMZ they looked “super happy,” with .Paak’s arm around Carey’s waist at one point. Sources at the time pushed back, saying they were collaborating on new music in Carey’s Aspen studio and were absolutely not dating. They even left the restaurant separately, as if to prove the point.

It didn’t quite land. The rumors kept simmering.

The musical connection is real, at least. The two released “Play This Song” together in September, the second track off Carey’s album Here For It All. When .Paak posted an Instagram carousel of the pair at the time, he wrote: “I want you to grab the hand of the person you love and tell them ‘BABY IM HERE FOR IT ALL!!’ @mariahcarey thank you for letting me be a part of your epic journey. I’m forever grateful and truly humbled.” Romantic? Maybe. Enthusiastic collaborator energy? Also possible. The line keeps blurring.

Then came the interviews. When Carey appeared on Gayle King’s show, she played it coy, saying .Paak “just likes to hold my hand.” On Keke Palmer’s podcast, she was a little more forthcoming — saying the two first met while working on Here For It All and, when pressed about the dating rumors, teased that there is “maybe a little love” between them. Mariah Carey does not do accidents. That was a choice.

The Jeannie Mai Complication

The timeline gets a little tangled. Earlier this year, .Paak — real name Brandon Paak Anderson — sparked a separate round of speculation when he was spotted with Jeannie Mai at his West Hollywood restaurant, Andy’s, in February, just before Valentine’s Day. Those rumors faded without much resolution, and now here he is again, very publicly hand-in-hand with Carey at a mall movie theater.

.Paak filed for divorce from his wife of over a decade, Jae Lin, in January 2024, and was reportedly seeking joint legal custody of their children.

Carey, for her part, has had no shortage of high-profile relationships over the years. She was married to music executive Tommy Mottola from 1993 to 1998 — a marriage she’s described as deeply controlling — and later to Nick Cannon from 2008 to 2014, with whom she shares 15-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe. She’s also been linked to Derek Jeter, Eminem, Luis Miguel, James Packer, Bryan Tanaka, and Eric Benet over the years.

Neither Carey nor .Paak has confirmed anything officially. But at a certain point, the hand-holding speaks for itself — and Mariah, of all people, knows exactly what she’s doing when cameras are around.