Ne-Yo has a big announcement — and it’s not just that he’s decided to go vegan. (That too, but … we’ll see how long that lasts)
He and his wife are expecting a baby!
Normally, this would get nothing but an outpouring of congratulations from fans. Instead, Ne-Yo’s fans are taking him to task. But why?
Yes, though Ne-Yo announced back in August that he was going to adopt a vegan diet (no meat and also no eggs or dairy or animal products of any kind — the kind of diet that might make most of us wake up in a cold sweat), he now has a bigger announcement.
He and his wife, Crystal Smith, are expecting a baby!
Which, you would imagine, would be cause for celebration by his fans. That’s the usual response.
This isn’t Ne-Yo’s first child or the couple’s first child.
Ne-Yo, a singer and songwriter with a lengthy music career, has other children from a previous relationship.
First, he had what turned out to be a false alarm.
In 2005, his then-girlfriend, Jesseca White, gave birth. Though she named the boy Chimere (after Ne-Yo’s actual middle name), Chimere turned out to not actually be Ne-Yo’s.
Awkward, right?
In November of 2010, Ne-Yo and Monyetta Shaw welcomed their first child, Madilyn Grace Smith.
In October of 2011, Ne-Yo and Monyetta’s second baby, Mason Evan Smith, was born.
We’ll get back to Ne-Yo’s relationship with Monyetta in a moment, because there’s more to say about it, and it’s the key to his fans’ ire.
Though Ne-Yo and Monyetta had two children together, Ne-Yo ended up breaking off their engagement.
These days, he’s with — and married to — Crystal Smith.
They were married in early 2016, just a couple of months before Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. was born.
(Yes, Ne-Yo’s real name is Shaffer Chimere Smith)
And just yesterday, on Wednesday, Ne-Yo took to Instagram to share the exciting news!
So … why are his fans upset with him?
See, back when Ne-Yo was engaged to Monyetta (the above photo is of him and Monyetta, in case it’s been so long that you’ve forgotten that they looked like together), after they Mason, they made an agreement.
Monyetta would get her tubes tied and Ne-Yo would get a vasectomy.
(Incidentally, vasectomies are very safe surgeries, not particularly invasive, have short recovery times, and are totally reversible. The same cannot be said of having one’s fallopian tubes tied, unfortunately)
But though Monyetta underwent the surgery, Ne-Yo did not fulfill his end of the deal.
Oh, and he ended their engagement.
Fans are outraged that, now that he’s with Crystal Smith, he’s happily having more children … while Monyetta physically cannot.
If he wanted more children, they wonder, why didn’t he realize that before Monyetta had surgery?
There’s a lot of shadiness, though we can’t say that this surprises us coming from Ne-Yo, who thinks that Chris Brown is a victim. Ugh.
There were some comments of congratulations under the announcements, but the less positive reactions really catch your eye:
“What a scumbag. That’s control at its worst. You watch this chick be tying her tubes soon cos of a new promise.”
If Ne-Yo makes a habit out of this, yes, it will be much worse.
“Don’t get why u made ur other baby mama burn her tubes just to move on n keep having kids … that’s just plain ole mean smh nice music but an a–hole in real life.”
There are a lot of skilled artists and creators who are terrible people. It’s sad but it’s the way of the world.
One lengthier comment had a more nuanced view:
“With all due respect and no shade to any of them, but as a woman I feel for his ex. @neyo should not have broached such sensitive/personal subject if he knew he wasn’t fully invested in their relationship. Obviously @monyettashaw trusted him hence she went along with it when he didn’t.”
The same commenter continues:
“I understand nothing is guaranteed and mistakes were made. However, I am yet to see a public apology from @Neyo to his ex, since he made it all our business by breaking up with her on Instagram.”
That is a very good point.
“He has all the characteristics of a bully and I don’t think I will view him differently until I see a public apology to his ex.”
That’s a fair standard to set.
Still, congratulations are in order for Crystal Smith, at least. She’s more than just an extension of her husband, folks.
“Don’t get why u made ur other baby mama burn her tubes just to move on n keep having kids … that’s just plain ole mean smh nice music but an a–hole in real life.”
“With all due respect and no shade to any of them, but as a woman I feel for his ex. @neyo should not have broached such sensitive/personal subject if he knew he wasn’t fully invested in their relationship. Obviously @monyettashaw trusted him hence she went along with it when he didn’t. I understand nothing is guaranteed and mistakes were made. However, I am yet to see a public apology from @Neyo to his ex, since he made it all our business by breaking up with her on Instagram. He has all the characteristics of a bully and I don’t think I will view him differently until I see a public apology to his ex.”