Bobby Brown’s long history in the entertainment industry as well as his dramatic personal life has been on display the past two nights on BET’s The Bobby Brown Story. Viewers have seen his tumultuous and toxic marriage to superstar Whitney Houston, but throughout his career the calming presence of his future wife and manager Alicia Etheredge was always there. The two had been friends since their teens and after Bobby and Whitney divorced in 2007, sparks flew between Bobby and Alicia and they married in 2012. The couple is still together and have three children. Here are five things to know about Alicia Etheredge.
1. Bobby and Alicia have known each other since their teens.
“We met many years ago, many years ago,” Bobby told Access Hollywood in 2012. “I believe I was about 18, and we were at a dance place, where people just go and work out their new moves … I met her there, and we became friends, we all hung out.” She was still there as Bobby’s pal when his career with New Edition took off and even attended Bobby’s 1992 wedding to Whitney. “Then I ended up getting married, and after me getting divorced, for some strange reason, I saw her again and sparks flew,” he added.
2. Alicia is Bobby’s manager.
A year after his divorce from Whitney, Alicia became part of team Bobby brown by signing on as his manager. “She’s worked with Macy Gray and Magic Johnson and people like that,” Bobby told Complex in 2012. “She’s just a brilliant lady.”
3. Bobby proposed to Alicia during a concert performance
The singer popped the question in May of 2010 while performing at the Funk Fest in Jacksonville, FL. Two years later the pair tied the knot in a romantic Hawaiian wedding in June of 2012.
4. Bobby and Alicia have three children.
Their son Cassius was born in 2009 before the couple became engaged. The couple then added two daughters to their family, welcoming Bodhi Jameson Rein Brown on July 9, 2015 and barely a year later came Hendrix Estelle Sheba Brown on July 21, 2016.
5. Alicia has helped Bobby find his faith as she’s a deep believer in a higher power.
“You can’t do anything without God. You can’t wake up in the morning, you can’t go to sleep,” Bobby recently revealed on ESSENCE’s Yes, Girl! podcast. “And, if you’re going to sleep with the right person, then you’re going to wake up in the right frame of mind and God’s light.” He continued. “I’m just thankful that I have that connection with her,” he said referring to Alicia. “We believe in the same thing, we’re spiritual. We don’t choose a religion, we choose to believe in a higher power. The person that has brought us all here, the person that made the trees, the spirit that has brought life into everything we see.”