Secret Lovers: 7 Affairs That Shocked The Music Industry
Source: Patrick McMullan / Getty
The dating lives of celebrities can be entertaining to say the least, and the only thing guaranteed to get more attention than a who’s-dating-who Hollywood report is a public figure trying to keep their lover(s) on the low.
Let’s take R&B legend Smokey Robinson for example. The muse of Motown did a recent interview with VLAD TV, where he revealed an explosive truth about his long-standing affair with Motown’s original queen, Diana Ross.
Robinson told the outlet that his affair with The Supremes lead singer lasted “longer than it should have,” mainly due to the fact that he was married at the time to his bandmate in The Miracles, Claudette Robinson (née Rogers). This of course was complicated for many reason other than the obvious, including the fact that Diana was at the time in a relationship with Motown’s head honcho, Berry Gordy Jr., who Smokey was so close to that he actually named his first child after him.
*whistles*
…again, entertaining to say the least! A handful of people on social media had mixed reactions to Robinson’s chatty patty behavior though. See a few reactions below:
Smokey robinson 173 years old gossiping bout some pussy he got from Diana Ross in 1962. Boyyyyyyy if you ont shut tf up
— nee. (@yungwildnee) January 17, 2023
The same Diana Ross who dated Berry Gordy for several years? The same Berry Gordy who’s bestfriend was Smokey Robinson for over 65 years? She was having her way on West Grand Blvd. https://t.co/2zzzCkNMaR
— Little (@DetroitEmory) January 18, 2023
This isn’t new information because Diana discussed it in her memoir. Also. Smokey answered the question that he was asked because the interviewer got the tea from Diana’s book she wrote. https://t.co/4VZZeXEbwc
— Nubyjas Wilborn (@nwilborn19) January 18, 2023
I was today years old when i found out Smokey Robinson was clapping Diana Ross cheeks….
Smokey was Mike idol… the lyrics to Dirty Diana making more & more sense now.
pic.twitter.com/i7vK7sLQh0
— JAWN WICK(BAD$)FreesSkinnyMe (@Bad_Money29) January 17, 2023
RELATED: 9 Still Jaw-Dropping Celebrity Cheating Scandals
Unfortunately, Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross are far from the first to have an affair in the music industry, and definitely won’t be the last by a long shot. Actually, the concept behind “secret lovers” — shoutout to Atlantic Starr! — happens more often than marriage enthusiasts would want you to believe. Still, these situationships if you will do in fact make for spicy conversation starters amongst us common folk watching from home.
With that said, why not explore some of the most infamous incidents!
Source: Kevin Mazur/JLo / Getty
Many of these high profile “lovers-on-the-low” had a handful of reason why it couldn’t be public. Some were already attached to others, like Diana and Smokey, others used the affair to actually get out their situations at the time and there’s even one pair that stood the test of time and are currently living life as a happily married blended family. Hip-hop heads will guess who we’re referring to easily, but the rest of you can keep reading to see who that lucky pair is!
Take a look at 7 celebrity secret lovers that kept their affairs private for as long as they could. However, we all know the golden rule: what happens in Hollywood usually will soon be a trending topic on social media faster than you can say “sneaky link!”:
1. Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz (2009)
Source:Getty
Swizz’s first wife, R&B singer Mashonda, blasted Keys back in 2009 for being the catalyst behind their 2010 divorce. However, all three are doing fine now and raising Swizz’s children with both women as one big blended family.
2. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert (2005/2006)
Their famous performance from the 100 Greatest Duets Concert back in 2005 (seen above) had country fans everywhere shipping them as a couple. However, Shelton was still married to high school sweetheart Kaynette Gern at the time.
Well, Shelton and Gern divorced a few months after said performance, and very soon after he was dating Lambert. Sadly for them, sometimes you lose ’em the same way you got ’em. Shelton and Lambert eventually also divorced in 2015 after just 4 years of marriage. Later that year, he started dating his current wife, pop star Gwen Stefani.
Coincidence?
3. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony (2004)
Source:Getty
Although Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are reunited and feeling so good as a married couple now, the pop diva called off their initial Sept. 2003 nuptials just hours before the ceremony. The couple kept things coy for months, blaming paparazzi for the delay, but by January 2004 they had called off the marriage and relationship altogether. Six months later, Jenny was spinning the block with Marc Anthony after his divorce from 1993 Miss Universe Dayanara Torres was finalized.
After a decade together, which even resulted in twins, J. Lo and Marc officially divorced in 2014 and moved on faster than you can say ¡Dale!
4. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West (2011/2012)
Source:Getty
KimYe gave us a full decade of glitz and glam while also birthing four superstars-out-the-womb children. However, many aren’t aware that Kim and Kanye initially came together by allegedly cheating on their significant others — him on Amber Rose, she on Kris Humphries.
Kids aside, we wonder if she regrets that decision now given what he’s become.
5. 2Pac and Madonna (1993/1994)
Probably the most WTF down-low couple on this list, Tupac and Madonna having a relationship in the early ’90s sounds like literal fan fiction. However, the song above, an infamous prison letter and the “Material Girl” singer’s own admission on Howard Stern a few years ago officially made it fact.
…and to think, they met by way of Rosie Perez. We can’t make this stuff up if we tried!
6. Lil Kim and The Notorious B.I.G. (1993 – 1997)
The sad reality of Lil Kim and Biggie’s secret affair is that it was heavily one-sided. She loved him eternally (still does!), meanwhile the late rap legend only reserved love for his protégée when they were in private. Even then, he often got both verbally and physically abusive with her.
We guess only Kim can truly speak on the dynamic of her time spent romantically with the King of Brooklyn.
7. Whitney Houston and Eddie Murphy (1980s)
Source:Getty
The story goes that Murphy and Houston were quite fond of each other throughout the mid ’80s. However, Black America’s favorite funnyman at the time was way too elusive for the late pop queen universally known as “The Voice,” which drove her to the arms of fellow popular musician Bobby Brown.
Definitely makes you think of what could’ve been had that phone call went differently.
It’s said that Eddie even went as far as calling Whitney on the day of her wedding to Bobby to convince her that she was making a mistake. Now that’s deep!
