In early February of 2009, police were summoned to a vehicle parked street side in Los Angeles’ Hancock Park neighborhood. There they found 20-year-old pop sensation Rihanna and her then-boyfriend, fellow singer Chris Brown. Rihanna’s face was bruised and bloodied, the result of a violent altercation with Brown following a pre-Grammy party. Photos quickly emerged of Rihanna’s injuries and Brown pleaded guilty to her assault.
Though she avoided her former paramour for a time, Rihanna eventually reestablished her friendship with Brown — inciting the ire of the media and fans around the globe. More than three years later, the superstar finally opens up about the incident, her conflicting emotions during and after the attack, and how her stratospheric fame has impacted her and her family on this Sunday’s episode of Oprah’s Next Chapter.
Oprah joined the singer in her native Barbados, spending time in her home and traveling back to the neighborhood in which the youthful Rihanna grew up and is clearly still very much at home.
See Oprah’s entire interview with Rihanna on Oprah’s Next Chapter, Sunday, August 19, at 9/8pm CT on OWN.
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