Lionel Richie Breaks Silence on Brenda Harvey, Diane Alexander Scandal

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A scandal was not what Lionel Richie was looking for during the late ’80s.

However, the real trouble began when Brenda Harvey-Richie, the first wife of the singer known for “Hello,” was arrested in 1988. This happened after she confronted Diane Alexander-who appeared in his 1986 “Dancing on the Ceiling” music video-after discovering her soon-to-be ex-husband at Diane’s home in Beverly Hills.

Now, Lionel is breaking his silence about the drama, calling it “the scandal of my century.”

In his memoir Truly, released on September 30th, the 76-year-old revealed, “What almost no one knew was that Brenda and I had separated.” He explained that he rented a place by the beach, seeking solitude and a chance to recover, stating, “I was hiding out there, trying to be alone, trying to decompress somehow, because it was killing everyone.”

According to Lionel, he was driving into town that morning and happened to “stop to see Diane.”

He remembered that soon after he arrived, someone knocked on the door. When he opened it, Brenda was standing there. A huge argument followed. Diane was completely stunned, and he was attempting to get Brenda to leave, hoping to distract her.

Lionel went on, “It was the worst argument I’ve ever heard, happening right there in the tiny entryway. The big question is-how do you put a stop to it? How do you deal with something so awful unfolding before your eyes?”

Although Lionel and Brenda first drove away, the Grammy-winning artist explained that his wife at the time returned and continued the disagreement.

“The neighbors called the police,” he remembered. “Charges were brought and then dropped.”

As a longtime follower of their story, I remember Lionel saying that day was the most heartbreaking in any marriage. He explained it as realizing you might still love the other person, and you’ll always share a past, but it’s simply over. And the worst part is, you just know it deep down.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve seen many relationships come and go, and sadly, Lionel and Diane’s story wasn’t a forever one either. They built a beautiful family, welcoming their son Miles Richie in 1994, followed by their daughter Sofia Richie in 1998. However, after ten years, they decided to go their separate ways in 2004.

In his memoir, the artist known as “Lady” expressed lasting appreciation for his former partners, praising them for being strong, caring, and dedicated mothers. He wrote that Nicole and Brenda immediately connected with each other. He also shared that his children, Miles and Sofia, have a loving relationship with their mother, Diane, and she feels the same way about them.

TopMob News has reached out to Brenda and Diane for comment but hasn’t heard back.

For more celebrities who were caught up in relationship scandals, read on.

Brenda was arrested and held on suspicion of physically harming her husband, resisting the police, and assault. Police stated that Lionel told them Brenda, his wife at the time, “kicked him in the stomach” during their fight, as reported by The Los Angeles Times.

Looking back at the incident, Lionel said it “took on a life of its own.”

The hardest thing, the saddest part of everything, was that Brenda was deeply hurt,” he explained in Truly. “You can’t predict how you’ll react or what you’ll feel until you’re actually experiencing it. None of us had ever faced something like this before.

As the American Idol judge put it, “We were all in the same boat – none of us knew what would happen next. The situation was messy, unpleasant, and a complete failure. Before that day, I remember feeling unsure about whether I even wanted to try and fix things with my partner and avoid a breakup.”

Lionel and Brenda-they jointly adopted Nicole Richie-finalized their divorce in 1993, ending their 18-year marriage. Two years after that, he married Diane.

That was the most heartbreaking day for a couple, according to Lionel, describing the situation with Brenda. He explained, “It’s when you realize you might still care for each other, and you’ll always share a past, but the relationship is finished. And there’s no denying it.”

However, Lionel’s relationship with Diane didn’t last either. They had two children – son Miles Richie born in 1994, and daughter Sofia Richie born in 1998 – but they divorced in 2004.

In his memoir, the artist, known as “Lady,” expressed his lasting appreciation for both of his former partners. He wrote, “I will always admire both of my exes for being strong, loving, and dedicated mothers.” He described Nicole and Brenda as instantly connecting, saying they were like two peas in a pod. He also shared that his children, Miles and Sofia, have a loving relationship with their mother, Diane, and she feels the same way about them.

TopMob News has reached out to Brenda and Diane for comment but hasn’t heard back.

For more celebrities who were caught up in relationship scandals, read on.

Several months after pictures surfaced showing Stewart with her Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders, she and her Twilight co-star ended their relationship in 2013. Since then, both actors have moved on and become involved with other people.

Robert Pattinson was in a relationship with singer FKA Twigs for three years, ending in 2017. In 2018, he started dating Suki Waterhouse, and they had a daughter in 2024.

After that, Stewart dated a few different women-
like Alicia Cargile, St. Vincent, and Stella Maxwell-before she married Dylan Meyer in 2025.

Following the scandal, Sanders and his then-wife, model Liberty Ross, divorced after being married for 10 years and raising two children together.

The Elektra actress and the Argo star revealed in June 2015 that they were divorcing after 10 years of marriage. Shortly after the announcement, rumors spread that Affleck had been having an affair with the nanny of their children. The Oscar-winning actor quickly spoke out to refute these claims.

Garner later explained that she and Affleck had already split up well before the rumors surfaced. In a 2016 interview with Vanity Fair, she stated, “We had been separated for months before I even heard anything about the nanny. The nanny played no role in our decision to get divorced.”

The Alias star and the Academy Award-winning actor separated in 2018 but continue to raise their three children together: Violet, Seraphina and Samuel.

In 2021, Affleck and Jennifer Lopez got back together, having previously dated in the early 2000s. They married in 2022, but separated in 2024.

Meanwhile, Garner has been dating businessman John Miller on-and-off since 2018.

Soon after announcing their separation in November 2020, Samodanova claimed her soon-to-be ex-husband Savchenko had been unfaithful. Rumors circulated among fans that Savchenko and his Dancing With the Stars dance partner Chrishell Stause had a romantic relationship, but both of them denied the allegations.

Savchenko addressed his wife’s accusations with a statement, explaining, “My relationship with Chrishell has always been and continues to be purely friendly. Our friendship while filming DWTS didn’t cause our separation. Elena and I have been facing problems in our marriage for a while now, and those issues, combined with unfortunate timing, led to this.”

Savchenko and Samodanova—who share daughters Olivia and Zlata—finalized their divorce in October 2021.

Oh my god, you won’t *believe* what happened! Back in September 2022, Sumner Stroh – she’s an Instagram model, and seriously stunning – came forward and said she had a whole year-long thing with Maroon 5’s Adam Levine! And get this – she claimed he wanted to *name* their future baby after *her*! Of course, he denied having an affair, but he did admit he made some really bad choices. He said he used “poor judgment” and that he “crossed the line” during a time he really regrets. I mean, really regrets! It’s just… a mess!

Following the claims made against him, Prinsloo has remained supportive of her husband. A source who is close to the couple shared with TopMob News that the Victoria’s Secret model is “upset but she believes him when he says there was no physical affair.”

The couple remained together and later had a son, adding to their family alongside his older sisters, Dusty Rose and Gio Grace.

Many were surprised when Bullock filed for divorce just months after giving her 2009 Academy Award speech, which she dedicated to the founder of West Coast Choppers. The split came after James was accused of having an 11-month affair with a tattoo model. Interestingly, James and Bullock were also in the process of adopting a child, a boy named Louis, at the time.

Following that, the Miss Congeniality actress adopted a daughter named Laila and started a relationship with photographer Bryan Randall. He sadly passed away in 2023 at the age of 57 after a battle with ALS.

James and Bonnie Rotten got married in 2022 and had a son in 2023. Rotten initially filed for divorce in 2024, but then asked the court to cancel her request.

Despite trying to work through rumors of infidelity while engaged, Azalea ultimately ended things with the NBA player in 2016. She revealed she had seen footage on security cameras showing Young with other women.

Since then, Young moved on, welcoming four kids with fiancée Keonna Green.

And Azalea also had a baby! The singer of “Fancy” welcomed her son, Onyx, with Playboi Carti in 2020.

In 2005, Law issued a public apology to Miller when it became known that he had been unfaithful to her with the person who cared for his children. They ended their relationship the next year, but got back together in 2009, only to split up once more in 2011.

The actor has since gone on to father more children (he has seven total) with different women.

Miller became engaged to Tom Sturridge and they had a daughter, Marlowe, in 2012. Unfortunately, they separated in 2015.

The actress went on to welcome another daughter with Oli Green in 2024.

Back in 2011, people were surprised to learn that the actor and then-California governor had admitted to having a son, Joseph Baena, with their housekeeper while he was still married to Shriver. The journalist requested a divorce shortly after the news came out, and a court officially finalized the divorce in 2021.

Even though Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver are divorced, they’ve remained on good terms. Their son, Patrick Schwarzenegger, has also become friends with Joseph.

After being engaged to the actress for seven years, Udoka was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Boston Celtics for the 2022-2023 season. ESPN reported, based on information from several sources, that he had a close, personal relationship with a woman who worked for the team.

Oh my gosh, when everything came out, I was just devastated, but honestly, I was so glad to see Udoka actually take responsibility. He released a statement, and it just broke my heart. He said, and I’m quoting because it’s burned into my memory, “I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down.” It was so raw and genuine! He continued, saying he was sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and that he accepts the team’s decision. It’s just… a really tough time to be a fan, but I respect him for owning up to it.

The pair split in December 2022.

 

As a longtime follower, it’s been heartbreaking to watch everything unfold with Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Baskett. She’s shared that she believes Hank was just too trusting and easily led, which she feels contributed to the cheating allegations back in 2014. They really tried to work through it, especially since they share their two beautiful children, Hank and Alijah, but ultimately, Kendra filed for divorce in 2018. It was finalized a year later, and it’s been tough to see them go their separate ways.

As someone who’s observed public figures for years, I remember when Tiger Woods’ life took a dramatic turn. After dominating the golf world, 2009 brought a huge personal crisis. He publicly admitted to infidelity – having affairs with multiple women while married and with two children. It was a really difficult time, and he eventually sought help for sex addiction. Sadly, his marriage to the Swedish model ultimately didn’t survive, and they divorced.

Woods then dated professional skier Lindsey Vonn for three years, but they ended their relationship in 2015. He was also connected to Erica Herman and later began dating Vanessa Trump.

As for Nordegren, she welcomed a son with NFL star Jordan Cameron in 2019. 

Just nine months after getting married, the actor was accused of being unfaithful to the Black Eyed Peas singer. Duhamel strongly denied the rumors of one-night stands, calling them “absolutely ridiculous.” Fergie later told Oprah Winfrey in a 2013 interview that the difficult situation actually brought them closer together. The Hollywood couple, who share a son named Axl, eventually separated in 2017, ending their 8-year marriage.

After that, Duhamel began dating actress Eiza González and later married Audra Mari in 2022. The Safe Haven star and his wife, a former Miss World America, had a son named Shepherd in 2024.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star ended her nine-year marriage and co-parenting relationship with her husband in 2009. The split occurred after he had an affair with singer Leann Rimes while filming the Lifetime movie Northern Lights.

Despite years of conflict with her ex-husband and his current wife, the tension between them appears to have calmed down. As Glanville stated in 2021, “I think we both matured significantly because, clearly, it was ten years of arguing.“

As a lifestyle expert, I followed the news surrounding The Try Guys last year, and it was a difficult situation. Ned, one of the original members, left the group in September 2022 following reports of infidelity. He publicly acknowledged having a consensual relationship with a colleague and, in a statement released after his departure, apologized for the hurt his actions caused-specifically to his wife, Ariel, and to the rest of the Try Guys, as well as their fans. It was a really tough time for everyone involved, and a reminder that even public figures navigate personal challenges.

Ariel, who has two young sons with Ned, released a statement saying, “My top priority, and Ned’s as well, is our family. We kindly ask for privacy at this time to protect our children.”

The couple confirmed in 2025 that they had parted ways.

Viewers of True Tori will recall that the couple’s turbulent relationship reached a crisis point in 2013 when her husband had an affair while on assignment in Canada. While they initially worked through the issue and remained together, raising five children, they ultimately separated in 2023.

While going through a divorce and fighting for custody of their children, Cook revealed he had a relationship with his 18-year-old assistant. His divorce from Brinkley became final in 2008, concluding a difficult two-year legal process.

Brinkley went on to date John Mellencamp, but split with the singer in 2016 after a year together.

Regarding Cook, he faced another infidelity issue in 2014 when his second wife, Suzanne Shaw, claimed he repeatedly cheated and publicly apologized to Brinkley for ignoring her warnings. Cook and Shaw eventually divorced, and the architect later married Alba Jancou in 2023.

An affair lasting a year between the former U.S. President and White House intern Monica Lewinsky almost led to his impeachment. Despite the intense media attention and scandal, Hillary stood by her husband and later ran for U.S. President in 2016.

In 2009, the Late Show host disclosed that he was being threatened with blackmail. The threat involved revealing his affairs with several female staff members on his show. Letterman admitted the claims were true and apologized to his partner of many years and his staff. Letterman and Lasko have stayed together and now have a son.

Following two decades of marriage, the Real Housewives of New York star ended her relationship after discovering her husband’s infidelity. She then successfully transformed a difficult situation into opportunity, creating her own wine brand and becoming involved with AOA Restaurant in New York City.

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2025-10-01 01:50