It’s no secret that Joe Budden and his longtime partner, Cyn Santana, have had their fair share of issues as of late, but we had no idea what we were in store for during the Jan. 14 episode of Love & Hip Hop: New York. Because they’ve been having difficulty with their sex life and finding time to be alone together, Joe requested Dr. Jenn Mann visit their home and give them some advice. Dr. Jenn talked to Joe for a bit, but then she requested some one-on-one time with Cyn and that’s when Cyn told Dr. Jenn that she had been raped when she was only FIVE years old. “I never really said this before. I think like three people in this life know, including Joe. My mom doesn’t even know … When I was 5, I was raped… but I was raped by a woman,” Cyn revealed to Dr. Jenn before breaking down in tears. Cyn explained that it was a babysitter who molested her, so now, she “doesn’t trust” anyone with her own kids. “I don’t even let anybody change my baby’s diaper. I don’t trust anybody,” she said.
Joe and Cyn initially thought she may had been suffering from post-partum depression, but after hearing her story, Dr. Jenn suggested Cyn may be suffering from “all the unresolved feelings about the trauma” she “suffered, [which are] bubbling to the surface”. She continued, “You have a baby you can’t accept help with — it’s the perfect storm. You see it, right?” Cyn agreed, and then she said that’s why she starts to feel “resentment” towards Joe — because she never feels as though he’s doing anything to help her.
When Joe returned to the room, he told Dr. Jenn that he feared even though they seemed to want the same thing out of their relationship, he wasn’t sure if that’d be “enough” to save it. But Dr. Jenn said it could be… IF they’re willing to put in the work, and Cyn seeks individual therapy to deal with her past trauma. So there’s definitely hope for these two! And we’re rooting for them as well. Especially after Cyn made such a brave admission in front of millions of viewers.
Fortunately, we can say that Joe proposed to Cyn in December, months after this episode was filmed, so it looks like Dr. Jenn’s visit helped them out!