Why Bobby Brown Once Called the Last Few Years of His Marriage To Whitney Houston ‘Terrible’

When music legend Whitney Houston and R&B singer Bobby Brown tied the knot in the early 1990s, it seemed like they were a match made in Billboard chart heaven.

However, a few years into their union, the couple began making headlines for their tumultuous relationship. By the time of their divorce in 2007, Houston and Brown’s marriage had become a mainstay of the gossip columns primarily due to rumors of infidelity, heavy drug use, allegations of physical abuse, and diminishing professional careers. 

In 2016, Brown addressed these ongoing rumors surrounding his marriage to his ex-wife, calling the last few years of their union “terrible.”

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown were married for nearly 15 years

Brown and Houston tied the knot on July 18, 1992, just three years after meeting each other for the first time at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards.

Though many questioned their union, the couple put up a united front by packing on the PDA every chance they got and just enjoying each other’s company when in the public eye.

In 1993, Brown and Houston welcomed their first and only child together, Bobbi Kristina. From an outside perspective, it seemed the couple was living the dream.

Unfortunately, their marriage soon became riffed with rumors of infidelity, drug use, and domestic violence allegations, which caused a string of marital issues.

In 2005, the couple’s relationship was showcased on their family’s short-lived reality series Being Bobby Brown, which put an even more significant strain on their marriage.

Bobby Brown was accused of physically abusing Whitney Houston

In 2003, Brown was reportedly charged with misdemeanor battery related to alleged domestic violence after claims surfaced that he’d hit Houston.

While speaking about his turbulent marriage to Houston during a 2016 20/20 interview with Robin Roberts, Brown addressed the situation, confessing that he did strike the legendary singer during a time when he was “trying to maintain sobriety.”

However, he maintained that he’s not a “woman beater” or overall “violent toward” his ex-wife.

“I’ve never been a violent man toward a woman ever,” Brown said.

Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston’s drug addiction ultimately tore them apart

While the beginning of their marriage seemed blissful, Brown admitted that the last few years of his union to Houston were “terrible,” citing their drug and alcohol abuse as the reason for this.

“Both of us trying to be clean, or one of us trying to be clean… it was terrible,” he shared.

Eventually, Brown and Houston’s marriage ran its course, with the pop star filing for divorce in 2006. A year later, their divorce was finalized, with Houston receiving full custody of their daughter Bobbi Kristina.

Though Brown eventually remarried, Houston remained single until her tragic death in 2012. But despite them moving on from each other, the love between Brown and Houston never went away.

In fact, just recently, the “My Prerogative” singer revealed what he would say to Houston if she were still here.

“She’s definitely missed in my heart and spirit,” he said on a recent episode of Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk. “She was my friend. She was the mother of my child. One of the greatest entertainers that I’ve ever met. One of the greatest voices the world has ever witnessed. I know for what it all meant, God has a plan that I can’t question. It was already written in the books.”