If Beyoncé and Jay-Z have taught us anything, it’s that it’s best to keep your relationship on the low-low. The details of it, the pride and happiness surrounding it–the less the public knows and sees, the better. But as always, some people just need to learn these things the hard way. So many celebrities jump on and in magazines displaying their love and affection for each other for the world to see (and to get publicity). Sadly, this is often the kiss of death for celebrity relationships. While they may not last, these images, somewhat comical at this point, last forever–especially now that we have the Internet. Shall we?
Evelyn Lozada and Chad Johnson
What a mess. The tattoo loving, reality-TV promoting couple jumped on the cover of Urban Ink and were picked as a “Hot Couple of 2012” by EBONY for their love, which was sparked by following one another on Twitter. Hell, we even know that these two “lovebirds” were slated to appear on a reality show together, the infamous and now defunct, “Ev and Ocho.” But when an argument over condoms turned ugly and violent a few months ago, and ended with Evelyn rocking stitches on her head, divorce papers were filed and they were no longer one of the “Hot” couples of 2012.
Christina Milian and The-Dream
I can’t tell you how disgusted I was by the fact that VIBE, a magazine I idolized for ages, went out with a ratchet bang (before coming back as a quarterly mag) when they put Christina Milian and Terius Nash, aka, The-Dream on the cover in a bootleg Janet Jackson pose. Really, son? The half-nakedness for VIBE was their first big magazine spread together, but they also popped up in US with their wedding photos. Of course, they got married and had a child in 2010, but a few months after her birth, The-Dream was seen on the beach canoodling with his assistant. he went on to say that he and Milian had been separated since late 2009, and that she couldn’t let go. Yea…whatever.
Diddy and Kim Porter
Remember that short time there when everyone thought Diddy was going to settle down with Kim Porter and put a ring on it? She was pregnant with his twin daughters, Jessie and D’lila, and they were even jumping on the cover of Essence to talk about their “Real Love.” Well, that was before he went off and got another woman pregnant with his daughter, Chance, and before Kim had an epiphany about her relationship with Diddy. As she told Essence.com later, “I left because at this point in my life I want something different for myself. I invested 10 years, I have children, and I’ve always stood by him. But now it’s time for me and what I want to do for Kim.”
Usher and Tameka Raymond
I bet when these two got all lovey-dovey for their Essence cover they never would have imagined that a few years later, they would be at each other’s throats in court fighting for custody of their sons. For a minute there, what with all the drama surrounding them after the fact, you could kind of miss the days when he was jumping in front of cameras on TRL saying she was a beautiful black woman, and not the days when he was singing about signing papers and finding himself unable to tell Oprah whether or not he had respect for her as his children’s mother…Ouch.
Ciara and Bow Wow
What looked like puppy love to the public was the real thing to these two, as they hopped on the cover of VIBE around the time they teamed up for “Like You.” She was still a relatively new artist stuck in a tomboy phase, and he was the golden boy of teen rap doing big things in the acting realm as well. They were cute and seemed to be all over each other in their spread. They were something like the black Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber before folks even know who those individuals were. Too bad ish got really real and rumors spread that Bow Wow cheated with a stripper. He talked about his regret over the end of their relationship in his song, “System,” with T-Pain.
Kanye West and Alexis Phifer
Who else misses the days of a calmer and cooler Kanye back when he was dating Alexis Phifer? Sorry, but this whole Kimye thing has us feening for a simpler time. Anyway, the couple appeared in an issue of Harper’s Bazaar where they showed off his LA digs, and while doing so wore the flyest of gear and were flanked by huge Takashi Murakami pillows and Louis trunks. This was back when the two were engaged and had the whole world ahead of them. Unfortunately, thinks didn’t work out and they split soon after the passing of his mother, Donda West. Rumors swirled that his complicated schedule put a strain on their relationship, and Phifer wound up telling People, “It’s always sad when things like this end, and we remain friends.”
Heidi Klum and Seal
If renewing their vows every year wasn’t enough, Seal and Heidi Klum also had those occasional moments where they jumped in magazines to make sure that we knew that their love was strong. This time around they did Elle Spain together and rolled around in the bed, smooching one another for the cameras. Unfortunately, all that public affection couldn’t hide the fact that these two were growing apart. Seal later claimed that Klum started messing with their bodyguard while they were married, and she has since refuted that claim. However, it doesn’t help that she came out and admitted that she and said bodyguard are now an item…
Prince and Mayte Garcia
Before Mayte was popping up on “Hollywood Exes” giving us a peek into her life post-Prince, she was the iconic singer’s dancer and muse while they were together, and after marrying in ’96, they appeared in and on everything together: magazines, basketball games, media appearances, and more. She was the hottest thing connected to the brotha since he used to show off Apollonia. Sadly, after the death of their son, who passed after being born with Pfeiffer syndrome, the two found their relationship was ready to be on the outs. They had their marriage annulled on their third wedding anniversary.
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley
Oooooh Lord, how could anybody forget the infamous marriage that took place between the King of Pop and the daughter of “The King”? If the kiss at the MTV VMAs didn’t have you ready to throw in the towel, then the mismatched couple popping up on the cover of EBONY might have pushed you over the edge. With their makeup equally on point, they smiled it up and discussed how they came together, and gave deets on how he proposed. Can we also talk about how misplaced these headlines look on the cover??? But anyway, an EBONY cover and a topless scene in the “You Are Not Alone” video couldn’t save these two. Their love was something many of us didn’t understand, and clearly it wasn’t something they were that into either.
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