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When Ne-Yo filed to divorce Crystal Smith, his wife of nearly five years, last April, he didn’t make her aware of his decision. In fact, Smith told Tamron Hall that she learned of the filing on the internet.
“We weren’t really talking at that time. I chose to leave the relationship because of issues, and at the time I felt like it was to get back at me or to hurt me, or whatever the case may be. He said that it wasn’t so I took his word for that. But it definitely didn’t feel good, it was embarrassing to say the least.” Smith explained during a recent appearance on “The Tamron Hall Show.” “It made me feel like ‘what was the point of opening myself up or letting my walls down?’ I chose to go to therapy and to start working on my pain and my issues and everything I was dealing with internally. I feel like that was the right step for me to get past it. So whether we were going to be together or not, I had to heal for myself so I could get up and perform for my kids.”
Ironically, while he failed to talk to his wife, Ne-Yo had quite a bit to say about his decision to file during an appearance on the “Private Talk with Alexis Texas” podcast.
“The reason that I went ahead and made it known on the podcast at the time was because I had gotten word that it had gotten out and I was trying to get in front of the blogs and everybody,” Ne-Yo explained. “I’ve always hated the whole third-person thing, if I don’t hear it from the horse’s mouth, I don’t believe it. So I decided to get in front of it before it became a rumor or an accusation and all kinds of extras were put on it. The bottom line is what I meant by ‘our demons don’t mesh,’ is that, there’s not a perfect person walking around the face of this planet. I have my issues, she definitely had her issues, and at the time we just weren’t in a place where we could help each other through our issues. My issues became a reason for us to not be together, as did hers…Everybody has demons, everybody is fighting a demon of some sort, and ours just weren’t allowing us to be together at the time. I thought that I was getting in front of it by going ahead and declaring it.”
Strangely, Ne-Yo admits that he never actually wanted to divorce his wife.
“I can actually say that though, to a degree, I felt that I had to put on a face for the public, I did not want to get divorced,” the singer confessed. “I was really, really broken up about it. I felt like I couldn’t show that to the world. My pride wouldn’t let me show that to the world and wouldn’t let me show it to her, initially. But I think she kind of knew where I was it.”
“He filed for divorce, came home, and asked what was for dinner,” added Smith. “I was like, ‘Whatever your mama’s cooking. I don’t know.’ I was like, ‘You got to get up out of here. I don’t know what you’re doing, player.’ So he was like, ‘I’ll leave for the weekend, but I’ll be back on Monday.’ And it was just like, what’s the point?”
The couple would continue to quarantine together as a result of coronavirus, which is what they credit with saving their marriage.
“It just didn’t feel right, it didn’t make any sense to me. This is what we’ve been forever. We don’t know what this thing is, we could be gone tomorrow,” Ne-Yo went on. “So I’m not about to waste what could potentially be maybe our last moments together not together. I’m not doing it. I’m going where my home is, I’m going where my heart is. And that was it.”
While it’s pretty awful that Ne-Yo couldn’t attempt to speak to his wife before filing for divorce, it’s good to hear that they were able to work things out.
