Mariah Carey has fired a group of her longtime staff members because they no longer had her "best interests" at heart.
The US singer hit headlines in March after reports suggested a number of her representatives had all walked out on her. Among those parting ways were business manager Michael Kane, publicists Connie Filippello and Chris Chambers, and stylist Wilfredo Rosado, who helped Mariah's billionaire fiance James Packer design her 35-carat diamond engagement ring.
The news emerged amid speculation of a rift between the former staff and her self-proclaimed "Russian dictator" manager, Stella Bulochnikov, who was recruited a year ago to oversee her career.
"It seems as if Mariah has allowed a complete stranger, her new manager, to run her life, and others believe this woman is toxic," a source told the New York Post's Page Six at the time.
"Seasoned executives in their profession don't want to put up with her. Stella is hard to work with. Mariah doesn't understand what's going on because Stella paints a different picture, so Mariah probably thinks it's petty disagreements. These are not just random people who have left her. These are loyal people who have been around for years, some 20."
