Rihanna Shares Feelings for Chris Brown in Old Oprah Interview

Rihanna opens up about her feelings for Chris Brown in an old interview with Oprah Winfrey, which has resurfaced.

In the clip from eight years ago, the singer reflects on her relationship with her ex, who pled guilty to assault in 2009. The interview first aired during a 2012 episode of “Oprah’s Next Chapter” and was released again this week as part of “Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations” podcast.

In the resurfaced audio, Rihanna reveals that she still has feelings for her ex despite their abusive past. “We’ve been working on our friendship again and now we’re very, very close friends. We built a trust again and that’s it,” she said. “We love each other and we probably always will. And that’s not anything that we’re gonna try to change. It’s not something you can shut off if you’ve ever been in love.”

At the time, Chris was dating his now ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran. “He’s in a relationship of his own,” said Rihanna. “I’m single, but we have maintained a very close friendship ever since the restraining order’s been dropped. We’ve just worked on it little by little. And it has not been easy. It’s not easy.”

In 2012, they met at a mutual friend’s yacht party in St. Tropez. “It’s awkward because I still love him,” said Rihanna. “My stomach drops and I have to maintain this poker face. I have to maintain that and suppress it.”

Since the interview aired, Rihanna and Chris have both moved on. The Fenty Beauty mogul was dating Saudi businessman Hassan Jameel for nearly three years before their breakup earlier this year, while Chris has welcomed two children, Royalty, 6, and Aeko, who turns 1 in November.

In his 2017 documentary Welcome to My Life, Chris got candid about the former couple’s abusive relationship. “There would be verbal fights,” he said. “There would be physical fights, as well…I still love Rihanna but I’m just gonna be honest. We would fight each other. She would hit me. I would hit her, but it never was okay.”

Despite their love for each other, they seemingly don’t have much of a relationship these days. However, Chris has left flirty comments on Rihanna’s Instagram posts and she used his H.E.R. collaboration “Come Together” in a 2019 video to promote her Fenty Beauty lip gloss.