Michelle Williams got a lot of attention this year when she announced her engagement to Chad Johnson, a white guy who works as a life coach. The engagement got the full People Magazine treatment, almost like they were inviting us to have an opinion on their lives. Then they put themselves out there even more, when they decided to put their love on display in an OWN reality show called Chad Loves Michelle. Shenanigans ensued, when cameras rolled on Chad using Michelle’s mental health struggles against her in arguments, and when he seemed particularly insensitive during any kind of conversation about race. So… long story short, Chad and Michelle are no longer engaged.
Michelle Williams has revealed that her engagement to pastor Chad Johnson is off. The 38-year-old Destiny’s Child singer made the announcement in a since-deleted Instagram Story post on Friday morning — the same day she dropped her latest single, “Fearless.”
“I still remain fearless,” she wrote in simple white text on a black background. “I guess I still remain single! Things didn’t work out. The healing that needs to take place is a must! I don’t wanna destroy another relationship. Blessings to him, his family and ministry. #FEARLESS”
Reps for Williams didn’t immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment. Williams and Johnson, 40, announced their engagement exclusively to PEOPLE in April. The couple met in March 2017 at an Arizona spiritual retreat run by Johnson, a life coach who has also worked as a chaplain for pro sports teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and L.A. Dodgers.
I’m not going to pretend to stan to Michelle, but I’ve always liked her and wished her well, and I’m actually pretty happy that she and Chad ended things before they were legally tied to each other. I feel like Michelle has had a difficult couple years, and maybe she convinced herself that Chad was her “happy ending,” the light at the end of the tunnel. But it didn’t work out, and so be it. I hope she takes some time to mourn the relationship and then finds someone really nice, someone who won’t throw off red flags in the middle of a reality show.
Photos courtesy of WENN and Backgrid.
Sis dodged a bullet, even if she doesn’t realize it yet. I’m happy for her!
Good for Michelle. I wish her happiness.
I hope she works on herself.
Happy ending to that story. Breaking up was the best possible outcome for them.
“I don’t wanna destroy another relationship”
It sounds like she fully blames herself for the relationship ending but if he had all those red flags popping up, he was also an issue. I hope she works on herself and realizes she deserves more.
Hopefully time will bring her some perspective. It sounds to me like he was in her head and convinced her she was at fault for their issues.
I guess it’s generalizing but my experience w a spiritual life coach was confusing. The penchant for control and blame spinning was palpable. Never again w a know it all !
She deserves better and I hope she takes care of herself and mental health right now. I can imagine that she is in a pretty vulnerable place atm. I hope she can trust this decision because in the long run it is the best thing she could do- for her emotional, mental, spiritual and even financial wellness! Chad clearly didn’t care about sustenaning any of these like a true partner should. He talked down to her, used her mental illness against her by mentioning her meds at EVERY turn or using it to explain her righteous anger at him not being able to patiently listen to her perspective as a black woman. So michelle you did the right thing and we are all rooting for you. <3
Meanwhile I hope the internet can stop this “poor michelle” trope or making fun of her. I’m sure this contributed to her mental illness. It’s sickening. She seems so lovely
Thank God for that. If he was acting like that before they got married, before they even had sex, he would have been a nightmare after he “locked it down.” That kind of behavior only escalates.
She’s making it sound like she destroyed the relationship, which…I’m all for taking responsibility for your own actions, but this guy seemed like he’d be really good at twisting and manipulating the situation to make her feel like she was to blame for his behavior.
I think you’re spot on in your first paragraph. Someone who acts like that only gets worse after marriage, not better. Hopefully, Michelle has some people in her life that were able to help her come to the decision to break up with Chad and will be her support in the aftermath.
Wait–they were waiting for marriage to have sex?
Yes and that’s a non issue from where I’m standing. Both were waiting based on their own personal religious views / interpretation of their religion. Their problems seemed to stem primarily from the fact that he seems like a massive jerk and she has serious mental issues and he was not being a great partner in helping her manage and cope.
oh I agree. I just didn’t know.
He was awful. One day she will be in a place to be grateful for dodging this bullet.
I had an ex boyfriend ( very recently) that did the same thing to me. Whenever we had a disagreement or a fight, he always threw the mental health card in my face. When we broke up, I blamed myself for the break-up. Thinking that if I didn’t suffer from severe depression that our relationship would have lasted. It didn’t help either that he kept telling me that I ruined out future because I was so f*cked in the head. After a lot of therapy, it became clear he was an emotional abuser and I also was very grateful, and lucky to have dodged his bullet.
Am I the only one disturbed by her saying “I don’t want to destroy another relationship”. Isn’t that a bit hard on herself? I think it takes two to destroy a relationship and he seemed like a total wanker.
Its totally disturbing, especially when the man was gas lighting her.
Those types always have a way of twisting things to make you believe that what goes wrong is your fault.
I hope one day (and hopefully it comes soon) she sees how much better off she is. She definitely dodged a bullet. He was not respectful and as plenty of people upthread have said it would have only gotten worse once they were married. She seems like a good person who has gone through some bad times. She deserves better than that guy.
Sounds like she needs to be with someone who knows her worth, not someone using the issues she’s working through to make her feel smaller and dimiss her voice. This life coach seem like a steamroller, the kind of person who feels is the smartest and has all the answers when really he just wants control. He is def problematic and manipulative and that’s why i’m not surprised she’s blaming herself for “destroying” the relationship. I just hope she gets help beyond the church. From my experience growing up in it, the advice can still be very sexist and she may end up being taught to believe that she, as the woman, is always at fault for not securing or holding down a man. I wish her strength.
This sounds like it worked out for the best for her. I hope she is doing ok.
Thank goodness for her she broke it off, I think she would have ended up badly abused if they got married.
I got all kinds of abusive creep vibes off him
I’m happy for her, because that guy is a complete douche. I just had the way she’s wording it, blaming herself. I second what someone above said, I hope she’s getting help outside just the church. I respect her religious beliefs of course, but I was also raised in it and that advice can sometimes be horrifically sexist.
I wanna see his 23&me. There is no way that dude is straight white. Somebody’s grandma is a lie.
There is coffee in that cream.