Ne-Yo claims he has lost work because of his polyamorous relationship with several women.
Ne-Yo is in a relationship with three women
The So Sick hitmaker – whose real name is Shaffer Chimere Smith – is open about the fact he has three girlfriends, and he believes “the world is mad” about his unconventional set-up, which has led to brands distancing themselves from him.
Speaking to Tish and Brandi Cyrus on their Sorry We’re Cyrus podcast, he said: “The world is mad at the fact that I’m in a polyamorous relationship. There are people upset.
“There’s deals that I missed out on because they’re like, ‘We don’t know if we can get behind the whole polyamorous [thing]’.
“It’s almost like you can be a great person. You can show respect and appreciation [for your fans and colleagues], but the second you do something that they don’t agree with, cancelled, you know what I mean? And that just doesn’t make any sense to me.”
The Because of You hitmaker insisted his domestic situation – which involves sharing a home with partners Arielle Hill, Cristina and Moneii, and their children – is a “beautiful thing” and there is more to his relationships with the women than just sex.
He said: “We are a family. We love each other, and it’s a beautiful thing.
“It’s not as difficult as you would think. People hear it, and they instantly go to sex … It’s community above anything else…
“People say the dumbest stuff, like, ‘It’s degrading.’ Degrading to who? I’m not lying to nobody. Everybody is here by choice.”
Ne-Yo – who has Madilyn, 14, and Mason, 13, with former fiancee Monyetta Shaw, Shaffer Jr., nine, Roman, six, and four-year-old Isabella with ex-wife Crystal Renay, and Braiden, four, and Brixton, two, with Sade Jenea Bagnerise — vowed to pursue polyamory after his divorce from Crystal.
He said: “I decided after that, I was never going to tell another lie ever again, like, to the point where even if it’s the truth that I know you don’t want to hear, you’re going to get it from me so that you can never say that I was dishonest.
“I went to one of the three [women I was seeing] and I said, ‘Listen, you know I love you, but it’s not just you … I would love for you to meet [the other women I’m dating] … In my perfect world, we would all coexist together. But I’m giving you the option.’
“You have to let her choose if she’s okay with that. And if she is, okay, then it could be harmonious. If she’s not, then you need to walk away.”
