The life and loves of the Bad Boy of R&B Bobby Brown are so filled with drama that it’s taking not one, but two nights of primetime television for BET to tell The Bobby Brown Story — and they’re each full of surprises.
We’re all quite familiar with the former New Edition singer’s turbulent relationship with Whitney Houston, but it actually turns out she’s not the only pop princess he dated. The film, and the autobiography by Brown from which it’s adapted, tells the story of his brief relationship with superstar Janet Jackson.
The Bobby Brown Story star Woody McClain told ESSENCE earlier this week that when he read the script where it detailed their tumultuous relationship with Jackson, he asked the singer: “‘Yo! Bobby, you sure you wanna say this?'”
In the film, Brown accused Jackson of not taking their relationship seriously because he was a dark skinned Black man. Not only that, the R&B singer claimed that Jackson was dating him while she was engaged to be married.
McClain went on to reveal why Brown felt it was necessary to tell the truth about his history with Jackson in such a public way.
“He said he wanted his story to be told truthfully so when his kids are growing up he can show them, ‘This is what Daddy’s been through,'” the 29-year-old actor said. “‘I don’t want you to go through that.’”
The finale of The Bobby Brown Story — and it’s additional celebrity cautionary tales — airs tonight on BET at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. Central.