Sheis...: Why did you feel the need to speak out about the A&E Intervention special & how you've been portrayed in the media since that special aired?Claudette Ortiz: Initially I wasn't going to say anything... & I think that stemmed from fear because of the relationship I had with Robbie... it was an abusive one. He portrayed it like it was a "lovely romance" & it wasn't. I just want to move on & put things behind me. Other people may be in the same position I was in... & if you don't eventually stand up for yourself it can carry on for the next 12 years... like in my case. It was time to tell the truth... the truth that he so conveniently left out in the intervention.
Sheis...: How did you & Robbie meet?
Claudette Ortiz: I met Robbie before the group (City High)... We started out as friends... we were both singers & knew some of the same people... My older sister and him were in the same grade so she knew him too... they were 2 grades above me... when we first started dating she said to me "are you sure you want to date him?" I asked her what she meant by that & she told me Robbie had a reputation of getting really drunk (since) back then & told me a story about him drinking excessively to the point where he'd passed out. I knew he drank but I never saw that side of it. He was my first boyfriend, we were young I was 16 & he was 18... we were nice teenagers. Everything seemed fine in the beginning but over time it became like a nightmare.
Sheis...: A nightmare? How so?
Claudette Ortiz: At first it started with me finding out about other girls... I stayed through that... I'm sure every woman can relate to believing a man lying to you about cheating, even when all the signs were right in my face... & that caused problems but it was the drunken fits that really scared me & made want to end our relationship...
Sheis...: Describe one of those episodes...
Claudette Ortiz: The summer I was turning 17 Wyclef had a 4th of July BBQ at his house... there were a bunch of music industry people... I don't recall what exactly brought it on, but he blacked out on me at the BBQ... he got in my face & started yelling "You ain't sh*t, you ain't ever gonna be sh*t"... & Robbie is a big guy he was so close I could feel the spit hitting me in my face. At my age I was so intimidated by that... belittling me in front of all those important people. There was another time I was confronting him about a girl & he threw a brush at me... I ducked & the brush went through his bedroom door... that's how much force he used... If I hadn't ducked I probably wouldn't even be a alive today. I gathered my things & started to walk home... I lived about 2 miles from Robbie's house... & that wasn't uncommon for me do... there were plenty of nights we'd argue or he'd pass out & I would walk home... He came out the house yelling & started beating up his car. Broke the head light, started pounding on the hood... his mother came out & called me back... I felt like since it was his mother asking me to come back in the house I should... when I got inside we all sat down to talk & she was telling me things like I shouldn't add fuel the fire... basically making me feel like it was my fault.
Sheis...: Had he ever gotten physical with you besides throwing things?
Claudette Ortiz: He'd push me, mush me... never anything closed handed... but I just remember being scared that he would eventually go a step further.
Sheis..: Oh I see, so it was more mental abuse but you feared it would escalate...
Claudette Ortiz: Yes, I mean even when it came to the group. Robbie was signed first... after Wyclef saw how we worked together he decided to sign us as a group. So Robbie would at times say things like if it wasn't for him I would never have become anything... God gave me my talent & only he can take it away.
Sheis...: How did your relationship with him end?
Claudette Ortiz: We were working on the album & it was rare for him not to be drunk... My management asked me not break up with him (he knows this) but it just became too difficult for me. Going on the road, recording... it was terrible. We were in Hit Factory & I remember him walking past me & he said "so this it, we over?" & I said "yes".
Sheis: So you guys broke up before the first single came out?
Claudette Ortiz: Yes, even before the album was finished.
Sheis..: On the A&E Intervention it was stated that you broke up with Robbie on tour in Europe & started dating Ryan...
Claudette Ortiz: No, we hadn't even been traveling overseas yet... & Robbie & I were broken up for a year before Ryan & I started any kind of romance.
Sheis...: I never even knew you dated Robbie, I only knew about your relationship with Ryan... So after you broke up with Robbie how did you & Ryan start dating?
Claudette Ortiz: Ryan was always a good friend to me... when Robbie & I broke up it seemed as if most of the people around us took his side... so people were always saying things about me & Ryan would defend me so I was looking at him like he was my hero. It got to the point where I didn't even want to be alone with Robbie... he was always looking at me like he was disgusted or something... so if I'd be in the studio or somewhere alone with Robbie I'd say to myself "where is Ryan?" One time (& I don't think he was trying to hit me but he certainty wasn't paying attention to what he was doing) he threw a champagne bottle & again I had to move out of the way to prevent from getting hit. People thought he was going to hurt me because of how he treated me. Ryan was the total opposite... he has a lot of respect for women.
Sheis...: OK, so now you're in a group with your ex-boyfriend & current boyfriend... how did that work?
Claudette Ortiz: They weren't best friends like Robbie likes to try & make it seem... Robbie was my teenage boyfriend & it wasn't like I just hopped from one to the other... I married Ryan & was with him for 9.5 years. While we were in the group Robbie was still doing the same things... at one point Wyclef wanted to kick him out because he'd missed like 2 or 3 appearances... we were doing a radio interview once & Robbie was laying sprawled out on the floor... it was embarrassing...
Sheis...: On Intervention they made it seem as if Robbie became an alcoholic because you left him & got with Ryan...
Claudette Ortiz: He was like that before City High... I got with Ryan because Robbie was an alcoholic... & the way he treated me. If I had a man now that had problems with alcoholism but treated me good, I'd stick around & help him through it. Robbie says he was so in love with me, but I've heard him say the same things about his other girlfriends & he treated them the same way.
Sheis...: Did you see the part on the Intervention when he was watching the City High video on youtube & he & his current girlfriend started arguing because she was trying to sleep?
Claudette Ortiz: I mean, it was difficult for me to watch certain things. I was saying to myself ''wow you haven't changed''... & what you saw was mild... my heart felt for her because I know how that feels. This is why I'm talking about it... I wanted to finally speak up & clear my name, but also speak to females in that position. We think we are being strong by staying trying to work through it, but all it's doing is tearing you down when a man treats you like that... You need a man to help you be the entire woman you're meant to be... He's not loving you... he's loving himself... it's hard to get out of those kind of situations... I have compassion for those women, hopefully God can use me to inspire them... & it's especially hard to leave when children are involved... but you can't help your children when you're down & out...
Sheis...: You & Ryan have children but you're not together anymore correct?
Claudette Ortiz: We are very close friends. We had both of our sons before we got married... we had a good relationship for a long time. Around 2007 it started fading out, we were changing... we'd gotten together pretty young & so we separated. I started seeing someone else & had my daughter at that time & I don't know who Malicious Jynx is, that is not my daughter's father. My daughter's father is just a normal hard working business man. He's not even in the industry...
Sheis...: So hold on... you don't know that guy that is being reported as your daughter's father?
Claudette Ortiz: No I don't know who that is. I saw a rumor on Wikipedia a while back saying I was dating him & had a child by him... I was in the studio with Bryan Michael Cox & we laughing about it... I wasn't even pregnant with my daughter yet... I don't know that guy & never met him...
Sheis...: How is your relationship with Ryan now?
Claudette Ortiz: At some point after I had my daughter Ryan & I got back together... but we eventually decided to end our romantic relationship. I absolutely still love Ryan, we're very good friends. He's been praying for me, calling to make sure I'm o.k. with all of this... being a good friend like he's always been.
Sheis...: Have you spoken to Robbie?
Claudette Ortiz: No... but what's funny is the people over at A&E called us to be on the show. My reaction was did his family ask for me to be on there? Because if not, that's none of my business... I wanted to know if his mom knew that they had reached out to me, when I found out she had no idea I was just like in that case I'm not going to do it.
Sheis...: What are your overall thoughts about the A&E special?
Claudette Ortiz: I didn't watch it when it came on but then all this stuff started popping up on the internet & when I decided that I was going to do this interview I had to watch it... I'm being used a scapegoat for his failure... he didn't appreciate me, City High... I saw him on there talking about the red carpet... he didn't appreciate the red carpet... I'm 18 years old living my dream, we were nominated for a Grammy & here is Robbie drunk... drunker than I've ever seen, I'm hoping we don't win because I didn't think he could control himself if we had to go on stage an accept the award. To be ridiculed for something you did is one thing, but for lies & non-sense? That's not going to work...
Sheis...: What do you feel is the biggest misconception &/or lie?
Claudette Ortiz: That the group broke up because of me or my actions. After I had my first son & it was time to start recording the second album, I said to myself I couldn't do it... I couldn't be in this group with him anymore... that would mean spending time around him, my son would be around him... & I didn't want that. So I spoke with my manager & Ryan... it was a hard decision to make but I prayed about it. I left the group in June 2003... he knows my reasons... he wanted to stay in the group... maybe that's why he blames me. But if me leaving because I didn't want to deal with the nightmare anymore is a bad thing, then I'll take that. I'd been dealing with it since 1998 all the way through to 2003. I don't know many solid women that can deal with that for so long... I even initially took the blame... I remember doing the Wendy Williams show & accepting all responsibility for the breakup because I didn't want to talk about the truth... I don't think he expected me to say anything... but I'm not that little girl anymore. I'm not weak, I'm a grown woman. I have children, got married, divorced... you have to stand up for yourself & that's what I'm doing.
Sheis...: Aside from doing this interview how do you think you'll get closure on this situation?
Claudette Ortiz: I'm planning on leaving this behind. I want to stay away from all that negativity. I'm gonna stay positive, surround myself with positive people & stay focused on the goals I have set for myself. We broke up when I was 17... I'm going on 29! I have no hate in my heart for him, I just want him to move on with his life & leave me alone... I hope he finds a woman who's willing to stay by his side. I hope the intervention works for him.
Sheis...: Career wise whats the next move for you?
Claudette Ortiz: I've been working in between my kids. I was on Interscope but they didn't like the material, after I had Bella they released me. I'd just been waiting for her to get a little bigger & stronger, she'll be 2 in April. So I'm back working... Anton Marchand is managing me & I'm in talks with an independent label... I'm about to go hard & I'm excited! I feel good, I'm happy, I'm single... I've been in a relationship most of my adult life... I'm not dating, I'm just enjoying delving into myself. Learning more about me & focusing on my kids. I have great people in my life... amazing friends & I just want them to know they are appreciated because I couldn't have made it without them.
cxxvii
*If you use any part of this interview please cite the source, thanks!
33 comments:
Wow, great interview! I'm so glad that she was able to tell her side of the story because Robbie made her out to be on some hoe sh*t, when all she was doing was trying to remove herself from a really bad situation. He seemed like a troubled kid from early on. I always liked her and her voice. I hope her much success in a solo career and I hope he's getting the help that he so desperately needs.
great interview!!! u need to interview me when my site goes up
I will say that I cried reading this interview because the topic is so near and dear to me - I know what it's like to be in an abusive relationship and have to distance yourself from the mania...
Great interview< I was def a fan of City High (still knock the album from time to time). I got all the answers to all my questions with this one. Ive heard some Claudette Ortiz tracks recently I def think she still got it good luck to her... Again great job She is (Cxxvii)
lovely interview. i remember a few songs. didnt even know any of them was dating. I know claudette, but I have no idea which guy is robbie or ryan in ur picture, so Im about to go google.
This was a great interview! I remember hearing her on the Wendy Williams show years ago, shortly after City High split and she mentioned how abusive he was. But even on the A&E special you could see it. Wow, I'm glad she spoke out. She may have just saved some young girl's life. And props to you for the interview. Dopeness.
I always say whenever the other person in the relationship is quiet, there's a lot of the story left out and Claudette proved this. Abusers always want to portray themselves as the victim and never accept responsibility as a f*ck up. It says a lot about a person when they can still maintain a friendship with an ex. Claudette is still cool with her ex-husband but never really wants to interact with Robby.That speaks volumes. Good for her.
great interview,i am also glad she was able to come outta this situation and move forward with her career,she has endured countless hurdles and i am happy to see she still is staying on course with her dreams.sometimes when we women think we are in love,we forget to love ourselves first!i havent heard her new music but i will surely check for it now
Wonderful interview. Thank you for giving her the platform to share her story.
Good luck to her.
Great Interview!
We don't care why you left him Claudette, what we wanna know is WHY out of ALL the men out there you had to pick his homie? I don't care how you put it, it's NEVER cool to hook up with your ex's friend. Fowl.
what rock have i been living under?
this was a great interview.
First off, great interview! You guys always handle celebrity subjects with class and pride! Thank you!
I am glad she got out of that abusive situation. I am also sorry her marriage didn't work out... However based on some comments she made, a break from dating/relationships may be good! She seems to have, perhaps, latched onto the first man (after the abuse) to show her kindness. The fact that she referred to looking at Ryan as her hero because he defended her seems proof.
THIS IS NOT AT ALL A JUDGEMENT!!!
I just hope that going forward, with the help of self reflection, MUCH prayer, good friends and family who LOVE her and perhaps some counceling she can center and focus to a healthy place that will help her pick a MOST suitable mate in the future.
I too can relate to her. I was in a VERY abusive church relationship and while that is not a man the affects can be VERY similar. I lost time... TOO MUCH TIME... And self esteem...
I'll be 29 soon and know how important it was to take some time in between to relearn and deal with the issues that allowed you to get in that situation in the first place.
God bless her!
GREAT INTERVIEW!
I'm a lil salty other sites(Bossip & Mediatakeout)are taking snippets of your interview and posting it like they interviewed Claudette.
Intellectual Property-Protect urs!!!!!!
(*U know me)
Great interview!!!! The link is def. on my blogsite!
Listen..I live in the boro and everybody knows Claudette was the neighborhood jump-off. She has slept around with a whole bunch of singers and rappers before she got on. And if Robbie was drinking, she didn't do much to help the situation by sleeping with the mans friend. Rumour has it she even slept around with Steve Stoute who was working at the label at the time. Look...SHE CHEATED ON HER HUSBAND AND HAD ANOTHER MANS BABY WHILE SHE WAS STILL MARRIED! So who you gonna believe? She's been ho and the whole Willingboro knows this!
Beautiful interview. I knew alot about robby.I actually met city high a long time ago. I was a close part of Wyclefs road staff and i saw alot of things w/my own eyes. Robby was very disrespectful and over confident but when u first meet him he puts on a great representative. If u hung around long enough u eventually saw another side. One thing she didnt mention is that he was on alot more than alcohol. I mean hard core drugs. I saw this with my own eyes and he was annoying and ignorant but absolutely terrible towards Claudette. I think the only reason he never hit her was because Ryan was always there to make sure he didn't. Ryan always remained neutral but if robby got too crazy and up in her face (and we all thought he WAS hittin her behind closed doors based on how he was in front of people) Ryan was there to make sure he didnt touch her. She was very young and seemed very hurt by him at first but over time looked broken down and would just stand there and wait for him to finish. If she tried to walk away he would follow her. He seemed very "stalker-ish". I just hope she's happy. I've seen her w/her kids and she's a great mother. She was always very respectful and sweet. She deserves the best. By the way to the writer of this interview, I truely enjoyed it and you're a great writer. Media take out sucks! Peace & Blessings
Jay
Wow...wow...If u go back to their album there's a song called BEST FRIEND" have a listen...very interesting...its about this situation actually..I cant believe she was in a group with her ex & current n be that nive thinking it would not cause any drama in the group...but her gsme was bold ma!!
I am in a relationship that is similar and I have to say that this is SO inspiring . Made me cry and think again about continuing this toxic relationship. I guess I've been waiting for him to change. I hope there are other women that are touched by this like I was. Thank you to Claudette and the author.
Hello! I'm from willingboro N.J, reppin penny packer:) who ever wrote that nonsense about Claudette must be a hater cause I've heard nothing but great things about her.I met them once at a high school concert at W'Boro high and Claudette was real nice and seemed genuine. The other guy was not very nice to his fans. My sister knows one of her friends and she has nothing but great things to say about her. I think people jus be hatin lol
I'm lovin that Boro is on the map! wuttup fellow Boro peoples! I dont kno and i aint choosin either side but I went to school wit robby and he was cool but always an alchy. I aint never heard nothin foul about claudette, I actually heard the opposite that she aint mess wit nobody and was jus really always into music.. I aint kno her like that but she seemed mad cool, she was real young but I remember she could sing real pretty 4 her age.
This is so old news. Who cares. Everybody has their issues and makes bad decisions at least once in there life and we are not God to judge them.
Anonymous sounds like a Claudette "Groupie" The thing your forgeting *since you know so much* is that ol girl never checked or gave a damn about Robbie once she jumped over to Ryan. And if Ryan or her were some real friends, they would never have hooked up. Especially since I know Robbie is the reason for City High in the 1st place. She's a ho and been a ho! And there are PLENTY others I know who smashed ol girl. And as for Ryan...who had no real values as a friend, what can I say....What goes around comes around! You can't turn a HO into a housewife! Really tho....
I'm glad I read this interview because I am a huge fan of Intervention and I also work in the entertainment industry. I watched this particular episode and I thought that the subject (Robbie) never truly "got it". He may stop drinking but unless he understands that he is a toxic PERSON who uses alcohol to fuel that toxicity, he will never truly change. He's an angry guy. He's selfish, childish, and he doesn't care about anybody but himself. Doesn't he know there is REAL suffering going on all around the world?? What exactly are his problems again? Not much really. Waaa, your group broke up. Whatever. People have had far worse things happen to them and they have gone on to create HUGE careers for themselves (Jennifer Hudson's family tragedy comes to mind.) Everybody has setback, problems, etc. and problems are not an excuse to be an ASS. So THANK YOU Claudette for doing this interview. This really helps clarify the overall picture. This is important for men and women in abusive relationships. Thank you!!! I am happy to hear you are happy and doing well! SIDE NOTE: Please Tweet more!! (Claudette) I am following you on Twitter now and it would be a great way for you to reach out to people - especially now after this interview. :-) Thanks! Hugs, Lisa
Also, if you have something negative to say about Claudette, just watch the episode of Intervention! You can see for yourself how abusive and selfish he is. He is so mean to everyone - especially his girlfriend. It made me cringe a few times watching her "take it". His whole family looked exhausted with it too, like they just gave up on him being a good person years ago. Even his grandfather said, "You are and always have been a selfish person!" If your own grandfather says that about you - not a good sign. So regardless what you think about her hooking up with Ryan - that is not the point. The point is he is and has been abusive alcoholic for a long time, before he got into the group!! I truly hope he finds his way back to his heart because I do believe every person is essentially good, but he won't be able to get back to his heart as long as he keeps looking outside of himself as the reason for his problems. Okay, I'm done!! /rant
Boro,
You must be a close friend or family member of Robbie b/c the last statement you made didn't make any sense. Sure, Robbie may have been the reason the group came together but as Claudette stated he didn't give her talent, only God could do that. Plus, Ryan already had a degree of success. He was on Sister Act 2 where he was a featured signer, and boy can he sing! (He sung the "Oh Happy Day" song at the end. Therefore, Ryan was a singer AND actor even before City High! I really liked the group but no one should be abused. And its foul to jump from friend to friend but this was no ordinary circumstance with the abuse and apparently Ryan didn't think that Claudette was being treated right because he got into a relationship with her and PUT A RING ON IT. We all have gotten our hearts broken, especially when one falls in love as a teenager, but once grown a person should accept responsibility for their own actions and put away childish ways.
Plus, he's still repeating the same actions with his current girlfriend so Claudette did well to dodge that bullet. It wouldn't be good to have a child with an abusive alcoholic...
Boro is childish. He doesn't know anything, just typing to see his words. Like someone else said, it's over. She was a young teenager. Robbie needs to stop trying to use this situation to get attention. Abusers never take responsibilty for their actions.
Unforunately for her the public has this negative image of her... that's gonna make it extra hard to succeed in showbusiness, but it seems that she's the victim in this story so best luck to her :)
Great interview! I just watched intervention and I was thinking wow that was cold of ryan and claudette to do that to him and now that I read claudettes story I know the truth. His mother is really to blame. She basically let him do whatever he wanted, he was spoiled. Even his own family members and manager said so. But I wish claudette the best with everything and much success and I hope she can put this behind her.
I in no way want to take away from her being a victim but I wanted to point out that her dates are not adding up and that she just might have been in a relationship with the both of them at the same time at some point. This is why I say this. She said that her and Robbie broke up in 2003. She then married Ryan in 2004 and they were together for 9.5 years. If this was so they would still be together now. 2010 minus 2004 is only 6 years last time I checked. Where did those other 3.5 years go? I watched the intervention and saw that he was abusive and I think no one, mainly his mother, ever told him no so he ended up being this spoiled rude person but with every story there is always 3 sides. Your side, his side and somewhere in the middle you will find the truth. I believe they are both leaving out and adding a few things to make it look better for their side.
where did that thing about the 12 yrs come from when she was only in a relationship with Robbie for 5?!
all of u motherfucker shut the fuck up.
You guys obviously can't read or think critically. She said that she broke up with Robbie before the album was even finished. The first single 'What would you do' was released in 1999 and the album was possibly finished by the next year. That would mean they probably broke up in 1999 and the album was not released until 2yrs later in Feb 27 2001. So at the earliest she would have gotten with Ryan in 2000. Then they got married in 2004 after the group had disbanded. She and Ryan divorced in 2007 but got back together again (after she had her daughter in 2008). So they could have been together again as late as 2009. So if you want to estimate...yes it is possible that she and Ryan were together, be it off and on for about 9 years. The only thing I would say I doubt is that they waited a year after the break-up to start dating. Maybe things were not official until then but they probably started dating much sooner than that.
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