Did Brandy Date Kobe Bryant After They Went to Prom Together?
Brandy and Monica are in the midst of their The Boy Is Mine Tour. The tour is named after their 1998 smash hit single of the same title and has been bringing nostalgia to a whole generation of fans who grew up listening to the ladies and more of the their chart-topping songs.
The headline-making tour also brought up another ’90s memory as fans on social media began talking about how Brandy accompanied Kobe Bryant to his prom.
Here’s more on Brandy and Kobe’s prom night and whether the Moesha star ever dated the late basketball legend. Plus, what Brandy just said about why she had to exit the stage during a recent performance with Monica.
The story of Brandy and Kobe Bryant’s prom date
In 1996, before he became one of the greatest basketball players to step on a court, Kobe was high school senior attending Lower Merion High School in a suburb outside of Philadelphia. When it came time to find a prom date, he decided to shoot for the stars, literally.
At the time Brandy had already released a hit album and was starring on her own sitcom. She and Kobe crossed paths at the Essence Awards that year and he knew then that he wanted her to be his prom date.
“He came home from the Essence Awards and said, ‘I met such a nice, beautiful, intelligent, sweet person,'” his mother, Pamela Bryant, recalled to the Philadelphia Daily News.
Brandy later told the Daily News, “He asked me to go to the prom with him, and since he was a nice guy … I asked my mom, and she said yes.”
Following that night, the two became friends and made other appearances together over the years. But Brandy always insisted they were never more than friends. Kobe met his future wife, Vanessa, three years later.
Brandy explains why she walked off stage with Monica
During a performance in Chicago on Oct. 18, Brandy suddenly exited the stage mid-show while performing with Monica. TMZ obtained video of the “I Wanna Be Down” artist walking off the stage and telling the crowd, “Give me one second y’all, I gotta get my …”
She did not return leaving Monica to close things out herself, without doing their famous duet. Brandy later released a statement via Instagram explaining exactly what happened.
“I sincerely apologize for the abrupt end to last night’s performance in Chicago,” she wrote. “After weeks of nonstop rehearsals, last night I experienced dehydration and feelings of wanting to faint, everyone involved agreed that prioritizing my well-being was of the utmost importance. I still made the decision to try and return and give it my all despite not feeling OK. With having to make some adjustments and the show being very technical, unfortunately, it was impossible to fully connect sonically with the production.”
Brandy then praised Monica for carrying on the show in her absence, saying that her “sister” kept things “up with such grace and professionalism.” She also thanked “the entire crew for their continued care and support.”
The “Have You Ever” songbird added that she looks forward to “returning to the stage” alongside the “Angel of Mine” songstress soon.
