Ne-Yo says his non-traditional relationship has cost him work
American singer Ne-Yo has opened up about his polyamorous relationship with three women at the same time, claiming it has negatively impacted his career.
The 46-year-old 'One in a Million' star, born Shaffer Chimere Smith, revealed on the May 7 episode of the Sorry We’re Cyrus podcast that his career opportunities have taken a hit since going public with his polyamorous relationship involving Cristina, known as 'Pretty Baby', Arielle Hill, nicknamed 'Twin Flame', and Moneii, called 'Phoenix Feather'.
"The world is mad at the fact that I'm in a polyamorous relationship," Ne-Yo declared. "There are people upset. There's deals that I missed out on because they're like, 'I don't know if we can get behind the whole polyamorous [thing].' It’s like, 'Okay, what?'"
The artist, who was previously married to Crystal Renay until 2023, said he struggles to see why his private life should influence public perception of him professionally.
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"It's almost like you can be a great person, and you can show respect and appreciation," he continued, "but the second you do something that they don't agree with, cancel. And that just doesn't make any sense to me."
Continuing to explain his set-up, Ne-Yo shared his thoughts that people might see things differently if they understood the dynamic of his relationship firsthand.
"You have to witness it," he said. "Because people say the dumbest stuff like, 'It's degrading.' Degrading to who? I'm not lying to nobody. Everybody is here by choice. Like who's being degraded? Who's being disrespected? What are you talking about?"
Even so, he said he refuses to dwell on criticism and 'can't give the haters any more energy'.
Over the weekend (10 May), Ne-Yo posted a tribute to Cristina, Arielle and Moneii to mark their anniversary.
Uploading a photo collage of all three women, he captioned the post shared with his 4.9 million Instagram followers: "I GET IT NOW. Most can only dream of a love like this. Most can only imagine what it feels like to wake up smiling every morning, walking into whatever the day may bring loving life, knowing your team is strong and the love is real. To most it can only be a fantasy. BUT IT’S OUR REALITY.
"And I recognize you all as the blessings you are. We’ve been US for about 3 years now. Had our up’s and downs, rainy days, sunny days, etc. The good has absolutely outweighed the bad in every way. We are not yet what we ultimately need to be, we are ALL works in progress. But I will match your effort, I will lead with love and WE will continue to make life lovely for each other. Let em’ say what they want to."
He concluded: "We happy over here. And we will continue to be so. I LOVE Y’ALL WITH MY EVERYTHING!! @ariellehill @daddys_pretty_baby__ @phoenixx__feather. MY PPG’S 5EVA!!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!"
Topics: Celebrity, Sex and Relationships, Music
Rhiannon Ingle