Lionel Richie's Love Life Was Marked By A Dramatic Encounter Between His Ex-Wives

Divorce is tough no matter who's going through it, but having it all play out in the press only makes things harder. Unfortunately for Lionel Richie, that was exactly what happened when his first wife arrived on his second wife's doorstep, and things took a very serious turn. 

Lionel's first wife was Brenda Harvey, whom he met in college and married in 1975. However, he reveals in his memoir "Truly" that by 1988 they were separated, and he had already begun seeing his second wife, Diane Alexander. In an excerpt from the book published by People, Lionel writes that he'd moved out of the marital home and decided to swing by Diane's home one morning, but things took a dramatic turn after they heard a knock on the door. "When the door opens, Brenda is standing there. There is a massive confrontation. Diane is in total shock and I'm trying to leave, to draw Brenda away. It's the most awful screaming match of life, and it's all in this small entryway," Lionel recounts. The singer goes on to add that after he left, Brenda returned and "resumed the argument. The neighbors called the police. Charges were brought and then dropped."

Of course, many already knew about the situation from the press reports at the time of the incident, and while Lionel chose not to go into detail as to just how severe the situation was, a June 1988 UPI report noted that Brenda had physically attacked both Diane and Lionel. A very traumatic experience, no doubt, but Lionel writes in "Truly" that what was most upsetting "was that Brenda was heartbroken. And I get it. Ladies and gentlemen, I get it." Lionel and Brenda ultimately did divorce, and Lionel married Diane. However, he and Diane would later divorce as well. 

Despite getting off to such a rocky start, it's worth noting that the extended Richie family gets on well today. Granted, neither of Lionel Richie's ex-wives has spoken publicly about the situation, but it is telling that both of them are close with all of his kids. In fact, Brenda Harvey has even shouted out Sofia Richie on National Daughter's Day, referring to herself as "Mama B" in an Instagram post, to which Sofia replied, "Love you so much." Brenda also posted a sweet pic of Sofia with her brother, Miles Richie, back in 2020, along with the caption, "So happy to be with two of my 3 kids, Miles and Sofia. ... I love them so very much. ... Yes my 1st one Nicole is in the background. We were all together, including the grandkids." Sofia was also included in a Mother's Day Instagram Story her sister Nicole dedicated to Brenda, who'd adopted her with Lionel. 

Given how close Sofia is with Diane Alexander, it seems pretty likely her mom is a-okay with that dynamic. What's more, when Diane shared a sweet post of Sofia, Miles, and Nicole hanging out with the caption "#UnconditionalLove," Brenda replied, replied, "They love each other so much. They are the very best!"

In "Truly," Lionel gushes that even with their first run-in, "I will forever give it up to both of my exes for being strong, loving, and devoted moms" (via the New York Post). With that in mind, we assume centering the children played a big part in their relationship improving. Lionel also hinted to Page Six back in 2015 that they all got along fine, and that if he invited them both to dinner, "There would not be any plates thrown. We passed that stage, thank God!" Indeed!