Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown: timelines of their tumultuous marriage

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown had a notoriously turbulent relationship that was riddled with drug use and marital problems.

Whitney Houston admitted that she and Bobby Brown took cocaine and marijuana together through their 14 years of marriage.

During this tumultuous time, Bobby Brown was arrested for drugs and alcohol and Whitney Houston entered drug rehabilitation programs twice.

They wed in July 1992 and eventually separated in September 2006, before their divorce was finalized in April 2007.

Timelines of Whitney Houston’s and Bobby Brown’s relationship:

July 18, 1992 – Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston marry.

1993 – Bobby Brown is cited in Augusta, GA for simulating a sex act with a female member of his group in front of an underage audience (per Atlanta Journal-Consitution). They report he was arrested for a similar act in Columbus, GA in 1989.

March 1993 – Their child, Bobbi Kristina, is born. (Bobby Brown already had three other children from previous relationships – Landon, Laprincia, and Bobby Jr.)

August 1996 – Bobby Brown crashed Whitney Houston’s black Porsche on a residential street in Hollywood, FL.

1997 – The couple separate briefly. In a 1998 interview with Ebony, Whitney Houston responds to reports that they had divorced: “Nope. We separated for a minute, and it’s good sometimes to just get away.” Ebony reports they separated for one month.

1998 – Bobby Brown is arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor sexual battery. (The sexual battery case was dropped due to insufficient evidence. The singer was arrested June 21 at the Beverly Hills Hotel for allegedly slapping a teen on the behind.) (USA Today)

June 2002 – Bobby Brown is hospitalized for treatment of an infection, according to a spokesperson. He fell ill while traveling with his wife on a tour bus. The spokeswoman said that Bobby Brown had a fever, but declined to specify the nature of the infection. (AP)

December 10, 2003 – Bobby Brown is charged with battery after a weekend domestic dispute with his wife, leaving her with facial injuries. Bobby Brown was accompanied by his wife as he turned himself in to authorities. This is when she started singing “(You make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman” in the car on the way out. Bobby Brown was released after receiving a copy of the charge.

March 26, 2004 – Bobby Brown was released from the county jail after spending a night behind bars for failing to pay $63,500 in child support. He paid up, and said the whole thing was a misunderstanding

January 7, 2004 – Bobby Brown is scheduled to be in court for a preliminary hearing regarding the December 2003 battery incident.

May 5, 2004 – bobby Brown is scheduled to appear in a Fulton County, GA court to face misdemeanor battery charges after he allegedly hit his wife, leaving her with a bruised cheek and a cut lip. A judge ordered there was enough evidence for Bobby Brown to stand trial on misdemeanor battery charges for allegedly hitting Whitney Houston in the face at their home near Alpharetta, a suburb north of Atlanta.

April 10, 2006 – The National Enquirer published pictures of a bathroom, allegedly Whitney Houston’s, littered with drug paraphernalia. These pictures were taken and reportedly provided to the enquirer by Tina Brown, Bobby Brown’s sister. According to the Enquirer, Tina Brown has further alleged that Whitney Houston has had lesbian affairs. Tina Brown also said there was holes drilled in the walls so Whitney Houston could see if anyone was entering her apartment, but the pictures do not show this.

August 21, 2006 – Osama Bin Laden reportedly has a crush on Whitney Houston

August, 2006 – Bobby Brown fuels infidelity rumors when he allegedly has an affair with Karrine Steffans. Bobby Brown has never responded to the allegation.

September, 2006 – After years of controversy and turmoil, Whitney Houston separated from Bobby Brown

October, 2006 – Whitney Houston filed for divorce.

April 24, 2007 – The divorce was finalized, with Whitney Houston granted custody of Bobbi Kristina

May 4, 2007 – Whitney Houston sold the suburban Atlanta home featured in Being Bobby Brown for $1.19 million. A few days later, Bobby Brown sued Whitney Houston in Orange County, California court in an attempt to change the terms of their custody agreement. Bobby Brown also sought child and spousal support from Whitney Houston. In the lawsuit, Bobby Brown claimed that financial and emotional problems prevented him from properly responding to Whitney Houston’s divorce petition. Bobby Brown lost at his court hearing as the judge dismissed his appeal to overrule the custody terms, leaving Whitney Houston with full custody and Brown with no spousal support.