Rihanna and Chris Brown: the story of their relationship and the consequences of 2009
16 may 2025 в 00:13
Rihanna and Chris Brown were one of the most talked-about couples of the late 2000s. The hitmaking duo, who burst onto the scene in the 2000s with hits like «Pon de Replay» (Rihanna) and «Run It» (Chris Brown), were just teenagers when they made it big. This couple had their ups and downs throughout their highly publicized relationship, and unfortunately, this included the 2009 incident where Chris physically assaulted Rihanna. This attack, for which Chris received five years of probation plus community service, now largely defines how people view their once seemingly perfect relationship and Chris’s career.
The physical assault turned the R&B star into a villain of pop culture, and although he has returned to music — for example, with the 2018 hit «Freaky Friday» — his reputation continues to be tarnished by legal troubles. Despite his ongoing run-ins with the law, it seems that Chris has been able to reconcile with Rihanna and even establish a respectful acquaintance with her — even after they attempted to rekindle their relationship in 2013. Read on to find out how Rihanna and Chris met, what their relationship status is today, and what they are doing in their own careers and lives.
Long before their romantic relationship, the pair met as teenagers in 2004, when Rihanna was 16 and Chris was 15. The duo was photographed backstage at the Z100 Jingle Ball concert held at Madison Square Garden in December 2005. Since then, their paths continued to cross.
Shortly after the success of Rihanna’s song «Umbrella», - which became the lead single of her album Good Girl Gone Bad and earned her a Grammy award, Chris collaborated with her on a remix. He recorded a response song to the hit called «Cinderella», - in which he changed some lines. One of the lines had him fantasizing about this queen from Barbados being his «queen» (via Genius). The song was never officially released, but the pair performed it together several times, showing that there was incredible chemistry between them.
However, the couple vehemently denied any sparks between them. «We're best friends, honestly, like brother and sister», - Rihanna told MTV News (via BET) about their relationship in 2008. Later, she denied their romantic relationship after reports surfaced that Chris admitted to liking each other. «He's an amazing person, but we’re not dating», - she said in 2008, according to BET. «We're very close friends. Very, very close».
Rihanna’s attempts to squash any rumors of romantic relationships did not help, especially after they were spotted «hugging» at a party following the Grammy Awards ceremony in 2008. Chris also reportedly sang «Happy Birthday» to the singer of «Shut Up And Drive» at her 20th birthday party, according to PEOPLE. The couple finally confirmed their relationship later that same year and quickly became a Hollywood power couple.
On the day of the 2009 Grammy Awards ceremony, fans were devastated to hear that Chris and Rihanna had suddenly canceled their highly anticipated performance. After much speculation, it was confirmed that the singer of «Iffy» had brutally beaten Rihanna the night before, leaving her with bruises and swelling. Frightening photos showed the singer in the hospital with a blue face and blue eyes.
Chris recounted the night he beat Rihanna in his 2017 documentary «Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life». «My trust was totally lost in her», - he recalled, according to PEOPLE. «She hated me after that. I tried everything, but she didn’t care. She just didn’t trust me after that. From there, everything went downhill because there were too many verbal arguments, as well as physical ones. Both sides». He later added that he felt like a «monster».
Chris was arrested and ultimately charged with felony assault. When the couple appeared in court in mid-2009, Chris pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to five years of probation, as well as community service and domestic…
The physical assault turned the R&B star into a villain of pop culture, and although he has returned to music — for example, with the 2018 hit «Freaky Friday» — his reputation continues to be tarnished by legal troubles. Despite his ongoing run-ins with the law, it seems that Chris has been able to reconcile with Rihanna and even establish a respectful acquaintance with her — even after they attempted to rekindle their relationship in 2013. Read on to find out how Rihanna and Chris met, what their relationship status is today, and what they are doing in their own careers and lives.
Long before their romantic relationship, the pair met as teenagers in 2004, when Rihanna was 16 and Chris was 15. The duo was photographed backstage at the Z100 Jingle Ball concert held at Madison Square Garden in December 2005. Since then, their paths continued to cross.
Shortly after the success of Rihanna’s song «Umbrella», - which became the lead single of her album Good Girl Gone Bad and earned her a Grammy award, Chris collaborated with her on a remix. He recorded a response song to the hit called «Cinderella», - in which he changed some lines. One of the lines had him fantasizing about this queen from Barbados being his «queen» (via Genius). The song was never officially released, but the pair performed it together several times, showing that there was incredible chemistry between them.
However, the couple vehemently denied any sparks between them. «We're best friends, honestly, like brother and sister», - Rihanna told MTV News (via BET) about their relationship in 2008. Later, she denied their romantic relationship after reports surfaced that Chris admitted to liking each other. «He's an amazing person, but we’re not dating», - she said in 2008, according to BET. «We're very close friends. Very, very close».
Rihanna’s attempts to squash any rumors of romantic relationships did not help, especially after they were spotted «hugging» at a party following the Grammy Awards ceremony in 2008. Chris also reportedly sang «Happy Birthday» to the singer of «Shut Up And Drive» at her 20th birthday party, according to PEOPLE. The couple finally confirmed their relationship later that same year and quickly became a Hollywood power couple.
On the day of the 2009 Grammy Awards ceremony, fans were devastated to hear that Chris and Rihanna had suddenly canceled their highly anticipated performance. After much speculation, it was confirmed that the singer of «Iffy» had brutally beaten Rihanna the night before, leaving her with bruises and swelling. Frightening photos showed the singer in the hospital with a blue face and blue eyes.
Chris recounted the night he beat Rihanna in his 2017 documentary «Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life». «My trust was totally lost in her», - he recalled, according to PEOPLE. «She hated me after that. I tried everything, but she didn’t care. She just didn’t trust me after that. From there, everything went downhill because there were too many verbal arguments, as well as physical ones. Both sides». He later added that he felt like a «monster».
Chris was arrested and ultimately charged with felony assault. When the couple appeared in court in mid-2009, Chris pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to five years of probation, as well as community service and domestic…
© Kolganov Andrey
