In a June 7 interview with journalist Tamron Hall, “My Prerogative” singer Bobby Brown and his wife Alicia Etheredge-Brown opened up about living in the complex shadow of his first wife– megastar Whitney Houston.

Tamron began the line of questioning by saying, “You manage the Bobby Brown empire, but part of that empire always will include the name the great Whitney Houston. How did you find your peace with knowing she’s forever a part of y’all’s [Bobby & Alicia] story?”

Despite being a loaded question, Brown and Alicia’s marriage has sometimes fallen in the shadow of Brown’s marriage to Whitney.

Alicia gave an eloquent and genuine answer.

She said, “I find my peace because it was based on love. They had a love story that was amazing. I don’t focus on the negative of any of it. I know she was a beautiful human. I know this from her children. I learned this from Bobby, and you know, it’s respect. I don’t compare myself to anyone you know, I know my value.” 

This isn’t the first time she’s spoken about fans’ seeming infatuation with trying to juxtapose the two women.

Most notably, during an interview with People Magazine, the couple revealed that they still often get questions about Bobby’s ex-wife– almost as if attempting to compare the two Black women to one another competitively.

Whitney and Brown’s marriage was in the spotlight during the ’90s and early 2000s and can only be described as tabloid madness. The couple navigated independent music careers, cheating scandals, and heavy substance misuse. The craze ostensibly never died because their relationship has recently been the central theme of biopics, movies, and documentaries. 

Each time, Alicia has maintained the same sentiment. She told People, “Bobby and Whitney were their time […] I also came from a place. So knowing that he loved hard and came out the other end and somehow we were meant to be and found each other again, that’s what I focus on.”