Shamari and Ronnie Devoe open up about prolonging their friendship before a relationship and having an open marriage.
This week, the couple appeared on #AngelaYee’s podcast “Lip Service,” where the two discussed their relationship journey. Shamari has previously been open about how the two had an open marriage which only involved other women. Now that the Devoes have a closed marriage, the item revealed that prior to marriage; Ronnie struggled with making Shamari his girlfriend.
Shamari claims she waited three years before the New Edition star committed. “I knew that he was the one for me from the very beginning. It took him three years for him to be like ‘Okay, I’ll be your boyfriend.’ “He was in his 30s and I figured he got all the childhood having sex with everybody out.” The couple initially met at the Janet Jackson Icon Awards after party, and their spark continued into the next day when they “had lunch” at a hotel. As years continued to pass, Shamari grew weary and eventually gave Ronnie an ultimatum. Ronnie caved when he realized Shamari stayed supportive even through his financial woes.
Yee then asked Ronnie why he waited so long. “We met March 10, 2001. I ended up moving to Atlanta in November 2001. Atlanta is the black mecca, I’m a single cat. I knew I wasn’t settling down for the first six months there. […] I moved to Atlanta, she felt like I’m the one. Every now and then she’s throwing the jab and I’m just fighting her, kicking screaming and saying ‘No, not yet!’”
He continued, “Fast forward about two, two and half years, she gave me the ultimatum, like ‘Look, man, you are the one for me and I can’t continue to play house.’ Even though we were together damn near all the time and I just felt like until I’m ready to commit, I won’t commit to you. She hit me one day and said, ‘I’m outta here!’ She hit me right before she went to Germany with Blaque […] I just had to reflect, and being in this industry when people can get caught up in the materialism—she was with me when I was in the ’83 Benz and I needed some money for a flight—that has to be rewarded. I called her [and] we had a conversation while she’s in Germany.”
Shamari chimed in, “We were doing everything like we were really together, we would go on trips, we were together every day, it was like I was his woman. So why aren’t you committed to me?” Today they are totally on the same page and made business out of helping other couples with creating healthy relationships.
