Ne-Yo faces criticism for raising his kids in a polyamorous household with four girlfriends

R&B star Ne-Yo isn’t holding back when it comes to discussing his polyamorous lifestyle, even if it means facing criticism.

The 45-year-old singer is openly dating four women: Brionna Williams, Bella, Phoenix Feather and Arielle Hill.

Recently, he shared how he navigates conversations about his lifestyle with his seven children – Madilyn Grace, Mason Evan, Shaffer Jr, Roman, Isabella, Braiden and Brixton.

“I’m not lying to nobody, not even my children. I answer them honestly,” he said on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show.

“It’s like, ‘Hey, this is daddy’s girlfriend, and so is that, and so is that, and so is that.'”

Each of his girlfriends contributes meaningfully to his household, he said, adding that they function as a family.

“She’s gonna make you some cereal, she’s gonna cook lunch, and she’s gonna wash your clothes. It’s all good, it’s family, it’s community [and] that’s what it’s about.”

However, not everyone approves of his approach.

Sade Jenea Bagnerise, the mother of his two youngest children, labelled his decision to introduce their kids to multiple girlfriends as “disgusting parenting”.

“Didn’t I tell your corny a** not to have that s**t going on in front of my kids, to do that cornball s**t on your own time,” she said on Instagram.

“And poly relationships aren’t five girlfriends that party with you every night so that you can pick up more girls to hook up – this is what you call an open relationship.

“Stop giving him attention, that’s why he thinks this is cute and marketable instead of hitting that booth and making a good song.”

This isn’t the first time Ne-Yo finds himself at the centre of relationship controversies.

His ex-wife, Crystal Renay, announced their split on social media in July 2022, citing infidelity as the reason for their breakup.

“Eight years of unknowingly sharing my life and my husband with numerous women who sell their bodies to him unprotected,” she said.

Ne-Yo stated that he’s opening up about his polyamory to avoid the drama that troubled his past relationships.

“I feel like I wasted a lot of time just being dishonest about things to the point where had I taken this approach initially, I could have saved myself a lot of headache and heartache,” he said.

Despite the backlash, he insists that honesty and openness are central to his lifestyle.

“The key ingredient to making it work is honesty. Everybody gotta be telling the truth.”