Following her separation from husband Nick Cannon, Mariah Carey seems to have found solace and comfort in her longtime friend, director-producer Brett Ratner. Many speculate that their current closeness may, if it hasn't already, lead to a romantic relationship.

Although there is no word yet on whether or not Ratner and Carey are dating, the two are said to "speak frequently".

Like Us on Facebook

The two became very close friends when Ratner directed some of Carey's earlier music videos, including "We Belong Together" and "Heartbreaker".

Carey was also Ratner's date last July during the box office premiere of his film "Hercules". Ratner, who has known Carey for over 20 years, travels frequently with the pop diva and has even joined Carey and Cannon during their previous trips. Last December, Ratner joined Carey on a trip to Aspen.

Reps for any of the parties have yet to address the rumor.

Ratner is famed for his work on the "Rush Hour" trilogy, "X-Men: The Last Stand," "Horrible Bosses," "Tower Heist," "The Family Man" and the television series "Prison Break."

Carey, on the other hand, who is known to be a diva's diva, has been on the news lately because of her split from Cannon. 

The singer's decision to separate from the host-comedian was said to have been prompted by his revelations of which celebrities he had slept with and, by the fact that he constantly needed to divulge information about their sex life. Carey was allegedly embarassed by his admissions and kicked him to the curb.

Despite their separation, Cannon maintains that he continues to respect Carey as an artist, as his former wife and mother to his two children. 

He wrote in a series of tweets, "What infuriates me most is to hear people slander @MariahCarey . I will forever be indebted to her for blessing me with our children...I will always love her unconditionally for this and so much more. @MariahCarey is an amazing Mother and I trust her wholeheartedly...I love @MariahCarey and that will never change!!!"