The mother of Ray J and Brandy, Sonja Norwood, isn’t hesitating to defend her son.
On Thursday, Nov. 27, shortly after her son’s chaotic arrest following a bizarre and dangerous livestream, Norwood posted an update on Facebook.
“I hope each of you had a grateful Thanksgiving. The day started a little rough, but we had a good family Thanksgiving. Love ya’ll, we’re back on the road tomorrow. Detroit! See you soon!” wrote Norwood, who is currently traveling with her daughter Brandy as she performs alongside Monica on the “Boy Is Mine Tour.”
In the comments, at least one person took a jab at her son.
“You raised a terrible son,” the commenter wrote, referring to Ray J, whose real name is William Ray Norwood Jr. “Happy Holidays!”
Rather than ignoring or deleting the remark, Sonja replied, “Sorry, but I don’t think so.”
The commenter pushed again, saying, “You think pulling guns and tossing women in pools is a good representation of the man you raised? Well, I hope I do better by mine.”
The exchange arrived just hours after Ray J was arrested early Thursday morning. According to jail records and multiple reports, the 44-year-old singer and reality star was taken into custody in Los Angeles after a disturbing livestream in which he allegedly threatened his estranged wife, Princess Love, with a gun during a tense argument on Thanksgiving. Video from the broadcast, later shared widely on social media, shows the entertainer appearing agitated and pacing with a firearm as Princess Love — at one point holding their daughter — and a man off camera try to calm the situation, while Ray J accuses them of wanting to “drive drunk.”
Ray J was booked on a charge of making a criminal threat, with his bail set at $50,000; he was later released the same day after posting bond.
Ray J and Princess Love, 41, have long had a turbulent relationship that has largely played out in public. After several years of dating, the pair married in Los Angeles in August 2016, following their time on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood.” They share two children together: daughter Melody Love, born in May 2018, and son Epik Ray, born in January 2020.
Over the years, they’ve weathered multiple separations, public arguments and four different divorce filings. Love most recently filed for divorce again in February 2024, and Ray J responded in court that April; as of now, the couple’s latest divorce case is still pending and they remain legally married but estranged.
In the wake of the Thanksgiving incident, Princess Love spoke out a day after his arrest, publicly urging Ray J to take responsibility and get help.
“Take accountability, Ray. Do better. Check yourself into rehab because you’re more than drunk,” she said in a video message shared online. “You’re not about to sit here and try and make me look crazy when I am the best mother. Since the day my kids were born, I have been the best mother, and I will take that because I am. Everything I do, I do for my kids, including being around you when I don’t want to or have to. It’s crazy.”
