Mariah Carey may be moving on following her horrific New Year’s Eve performance during “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” in New York City, but she’s making some changes.
Besides “using anyone outside of my own team,” she has reportedly dismissed her longtime creative director and tour choreographer/dancer, Anthony Burrell.
“He’s not being brought back [in 2017] for a number of reasons,” a source close to Carey told ET.
Burrell’s firing was due to a placement decision he allegedly made without the approval of Carey or her management team during the NYE performance.
According to the source, Burrell, who is currently featured on Carey’s eight-part docuseries, Mariah’s World, moved Carey’s backup singers off the stage for the live performance in Times Square and put them at the base of the risers to make more room for the dancers.
The source further explained to ET that Burrell’s decision to move the backup dancers offstage “left Mariah without any support.”
Following the performance, Burrell defended his then boss on Twitter.
“Sucks to see all of the hateful messages,” he tweets. “Peep[s] are so quick to judge, not knowing we were all in a state of panic. 333 peace and positivity.”
Sucks to see all of the hateful messages. Peep are so quick to judge, not knowing we were all in a state of panic.
— Anthony Burrell (@anthonyburrell) January 3, 2017
333 peace and positivity
— Anthony Burrell (@anthonyburrell) January 3, 2017
Since 2005, Singersroom has been the voice of R&B around the world. Connect with us via social media below.