Not since A&E’s two-night docuseries has the singer Bobbi Brown reflected on his life in intimate detail — from his childhood in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and rise to stardom with New Edition to substance abuse and the marriage with Whitney Houston to her death and the loss of two of his children. The docuseries will also include the first time Brown visits the gravesite of Houston and their daughter, Bobbi Christina, which he said was a very tough experience.
A first look from the docuseries contextualizes how Brown’s “bad-boy” image came to be in Hollywood with archival footage. In the clip, Brown explains that during his concerts back in the day, he’d often have his bodyguard bring a lucky woman from the crowd to get on stage and sing a sensual ballad called “Roni”.
An experience he recalled was when he arrived in Columbus, Georgia, for a show, Brown shared that the city had an anti-lewdness law. The last person that was arrested for lewdness onstage before he was, Brown said, was Elvis Presley. Though Brown was given the green light to sing “Roni,” he was told he wasn’t allowed to bring a girl up to the stage. But of course, he didn’t listen and did what he always did.
Brown’s reality show reveals his struggles with sobriety. In one of the first episodes, he deals with attending his daughter’s wedding where alcohol will be present. Bobby is seen meeting with his therapist, Sara, and talking over the temptations and how to deal with them.
