Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas and Usher’s relationship in the early 2000s was filled with ups and downs. Chilli, known for being a member of TLC, turned down Usher’s proposal because she believed that marriage is sacred and didn’t want to end up divorced. She knew that their relationship was heading towards a breakup and didn’t want to go through the pain of a failed marriage. Usher, on the other hand, was heartbroken by her rejection and struggled to trust women after that experience.
Chilli and Usher met in 1993 but didn’t start dating until almost a decade later in 2001. Their relationship lasted for three years before they decided to go their separate ways in 2004. Usher wanted to marry Chilli and proposed to her, but she said no, which caused him a great deal of pain and led him to have trust issues with women in the future. The breakup also inspired Usher’s album Confessions, which many speculated was about his relationship with Chilli, although Chilli clarified that it was not.
Chilli explained that the songs on Usher’s album Confessions were actually about Jermaine Dupri’s situation and not their relationship. Despite their breakup, she maintains that Usher was her real love and that their split was just a natural progression in their relationship. The duo stayed in touch over the years but eventually lost contact in 2019 when Chilli decided to focus on herself and stop dating to truly move on from the past.
Both Usher and Chilli have moved on from their relationship. Usher had marriages with Tameka Foster and Grace Miguel, during which he had children, before dating Jenn Goicoechea and having more children with her. Chilli found love with Matthew Lawrence in 2022 and considers him her “forever partner.” Lawrence gets along well with Chilli’s son, Tron, whom she shares with her ex, Dallas Austin, making their relationship even stronger. Chilli is happy in her current relationship and has found peace after letting go of her past with Usher.
