Evelyn Lozada Responds to Chad Johnson's ''Infuriating'' Domestic Violence Comments in Emotional Video
Evelyn Lozada said she's extremely hurt by recent comments her ex-husband, former NFL star Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, made about his 2012 domestic violence case.
On Thursday, July 16, the Basketball Wives star released a tearful video in response to Johnson's tweet about the impact his domestic battery arrest had on his career. "I lost my temper for once in life for 3 seconds & it cost me a lifetimes worth of work," he tweeted without specifically mentioning the incident. "I got it all back plus some after getting a 2nd chance & NOTHING will ever get me out of that happy space again."
In Aug. 2012, Johnson was arrested and charged with domestic battery following an altercation with Lozada, who filed for divorce days after. He plead no contest to the charge and struck a plea deal with prosecutors that resulted in a year-long probation sentence. The Miami Dolphins dropped Johnson from their roster after his arrest and VH1 never aired the reality TV show starring the pair.
Lozada struggled to hold back tears as she recalled the incident, telling her 4 million Instagram followers that Johnson's latest remarks are what keeps her from moving forward with her life.
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"I woke up today to Chad's comment," she said. "As much as I told myself that I wasn't going to respond because it's not the first time that he's made this comment, I'm just tired. I'm really, really tired. For this man to sit up there and say that he lost his temper for three seconds is infuriating to me."
"As much as I'm trying to heal from this, it's messages like this that are triggers for me," Lozada, 44, explained, adding, "It wasn't the first time. One of the things that I'm always gonna do is live in my truth, whether it's good, whether it's bad, whether it's ugly. I'm not going to let anybody take away my f--king truth and put this perception out there for a pity party as if you made one mistake. I'm trying to move on from this but as a victim how am I supposed to move on?"
Lozada then addressed the drama she's had with her Basketball Wives co-stars involving Johnson. During Season 8 of the VH1, Lozada and OG Chijindu feuded over her alleged involvement with Johnson.
"When it comes to Basketball Wives, I know that people tend to connect my character on the show with what happened to him," she said. And I understand that to a certain degree... I know that I'm the one that has made us look bad and I'm sorry. I understand that I didn't always handle things the right way. I'm embarrassed. I'm embarrassed for my family because this is a forever thing. The person that I am on Basketball Wives and who I am as a mother and who I've been in my personal relationships, whether it be with Carl [Crawford] or Chad, are two totally different things. What happened to me that day and other days I didn't deserve.
Lozada's video concluded with a message to survivors of domestic violence: "For anyone that is dealing with domestic violence, you don't let nobody f--king take away your truth. You don't let nobody make you feel like you're wrong for being honest and speaking up about something that happened to you. Let me be an example because I refuse to let the world and social media attack me because I have always been honest about the situation."
E! News has reached out to Johnson's team for comment but have not heard back.
