Why Did Chris Brown and Former Girlfriend Karrueche Tran Break Up?
Their final breakup in 2015 not only ended their relationship but also led Karrueche Tran to filing a five-year restraining order against Chris Brown in 2017.
Published April 14 2025, 2:15 p.m. ET
- Messy celebrity breakups and love triangles are nothing new, and actor Karrueche Tran found herself in the middle of both during her tumultuous, on-again/off-again relationship with Chris Brown.
While Chris’s former (and highly abusive) relationship with superstar Rihanna was documented at every turn, his relationship with Karrueche also garnered numerous headlines throughout the former couple’s time together.
Why did Chris Brown and Karrueche break up?
Chris and Karrueche broke up multiple times while they were together, the first being when he and Rihanna rekindled their relationship in 2013 after he physically abused her back in 2009.
“I’ve never dated a celebrity before so it was very new to me — paparazzi and all that,” Karrueche said in a 2014 interview with KeKe Palmer. “And then, even the situation with Rihanna, you know the reason why people tuned into this so much was because it’s relatable. It’s the case of the ex. In this case, my boyfriend is a celebrity whose ex-girlfriend is an even bigger [celebrity] … So, not only am I fighting a battle with her, I’m fighting a battle with her 14 million fans or whoever else.”
However, it was their final breakup in 2015 that not only ended their relationship but also led Karrueche to file (and ultimately being granted) a five-year restraining order against Chris in 2017, according to People. Karrueche’s restraining order detailed claims of physical and verbal abuse and threats against her by Chris.
What were Karrueche’s allegations against Chris?
The full restraining order, which also included protections for her mother and brother, included allegations by Karrueche that Chris threatened to kill her. "[He] threatened to kill me over text messages ... Threatened to harass my friends ... [and] threatened to shoot me,” the restraining order read, per People.
“Around the second week of February, he told a few people that he was going to kill me,” the order continued. “He said if no one else can have me, then he’s gonna ‘Take me out.'”
Additionally, Karrueche also stated via the restraining order that Chris “punched [her] in [her] stomach twice” and “pushed [her] down the stairs.” The restraining order officially ended in June 2022.
What is the status of Chris and Karrueche now?
In April 2025, Chris and Karrueche shocked fans and became a hot topic on social media when photos of the former couple at Coachella made the rounds.
In the snapshots, Chris and Karrueche ran into each other at the popular two-week music festival and were seen laughing together with seemingly no animosity. However, there were no photos of them showing any forms of intimacy that would indicate they have rekindled their relationship.
Despite this, fans are already running with various theories and scenarios of why the two, who ended on such a bad note and were still on bad terms as recently as 2024, appeared to be so happy to see each other. As of now, neither Chris nor Karrueche have publicly responded to their Coachella run-in.