Chris Brown says he and model Karrueche Tran have broken up and cites his “friendship” with ex-girlfriend Rihanna as part of the reason.
The news comes after several outlets said that the pop star and Rihanna, whom he had famously assaulted after a pre-Grammys party in 2009, were recently seen together at a Jay-Z concert and a New York City night club. E! News said the two were “caught making out” inside. Brown and Rihanna have not commented about the reports.
“I have decided to be single to focus on my career,” Brown tells OTRC.com in a statement on Wednesday, October 4. “I love Karrueche very much but I don’t want to see her hurt over my friendship with Rihanna. I’d rather be single allowing us to both be happy in our lives.”
(Check out which other celebrity couples called it quits in 2012.)
Tran and Brown had been dating since at least February. On Wednesday evening, she Tweeted: “Bye baby.” She did not elaborate.
Rumors of a possible reconciliation between Brown and Rihanna have been floating around for months, fuelled in part by their collaboration on two tracks in February and a public kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 6.
Rihanna talked to Oprah Winfrey about Brown on an episode of “Oprah’s Next Chapter” that aired on the talk show host’s OWN cable channel in August. The pop star said she “still loves” Brown and that she thinks he was the love of her life. She said that the two were not together romantically but have been working mending their friendship and are “very, very close friends.” She also said they spent time together in St. Tropez.
Oprah asked Rihanna if she was seeing Brown on a romantic level. The singer replied: “No. He’s in a relationship of his own. I’m single but we have maintained a very close friendship ever since the restraining order has been dropped.”
Following the assault arrest, Brown pleaded guilty to a felony charge was sentenced to five years of probation and six months of community service and was ordered by the courts to receive domestic violence courses for a year.
In September, it was revealed during a progress hearing that he had tested positive for marijuana during a recent random drug test. It is unclear if it will affect his probation. He is due back in court in November.