Ne-Yo Has Four Girlfriends—Is That What Non-Monogamy Is All About? 

R&B star Ne-Yo has more than one “Sexy Love”—in fact, he has four.

The “Miss Independent” singer took to Instagram on Sunday, March 9 to introduce what he calls his “Pyramid”—the four women with whom he shares a polyamorous relationship.

The singer made it clear he’s not interested in criticism: “Say something nice or move on with your life. We happy over here. 🥰💯”

What are people saying?

Jackie and Claudia of The Toast were, of course, ready to go with their hot takes. Claudia says she’s always had a “special place” in her heart for Ne-Yo. “If you’ve ever seen him sing the National Anthem, you know that nobody else should ever sing it again,” she joked, and no amount of polyamory could change that. But she was struggling with this revelation about his personal life.

“Does it change how I think of him in general? Yes. Honestly, this is really crazy.” 

Jax and Clauds went on to say that their only reference point for polyamory was Sister Wives, which Claudia described as “the most toxic group of people” and “a testament to why polygamy should never be a thing.” 

Jackie praised the “entrepreneurial spirit” of Ne-Yo’s partners, and Claudia appreciated him for hyping them up on his Instagram. Both of the Toast hosts said that they would be up for a reality show about Ne-Yo and his partners, which was echoed in the comment section of the “Let Me Love You” singer’s post. 

“We Need a Reality show! I want to see how these girls all get along every day 🙌,” wrote one fan.

Does this actually work for people?

Contrary to Claudia and Jackie’s impression from Sister Wives, there are many different types of non-monogamy, and it’s not always just one man with many women.

On The Ins and Outs with Ruby and Megan, Ruby Rare explained just a few of the different relationship styles that exist under the umbrella of non-monogamy.

While traditional monogamy refers to “two people together in a closed relationship where romantic and sexual intimacy is shared just between them,” non-monogamy can refer to “anything that isn’t that.”

“It’s about agreeing on your boundaries,” says Ruby, who considers herself non-monogamous. “There can be so many different ways of doing this. So it might be being in a couple that looks, from the outside, like a traditional setup, but then you’re ‘monogamish.’ Mostly monogamous, but then every once in a while you might have a little extra special guest star who enters your bedroom,” she says. “Or, if one of you is away, you might have a little fling … it can be a bit more fluid.” 

Polyamory, she says, “can be a bit more about longer-term loving relationships, so multiple relationships or dynamics where there’s maybe a romantic element as well as a sexual one.”

Ne-Yo referred to his lovers as his “pyramid,” which does not appear to be a commonly used term in the poly community. It might refer to what Ruby called “a hierarchical structure, where you’ve got a relationship that’s the main priority and then other people in your life that maybe you don’t have the same. You might not live together, you might not share finances.” On the other hand, “you can look at polyamory through a more egalitarian lens, where everyone is more on the same playing field. There’s not someone who’s deemed, like, the main one.”

As of late, Ruby has been leaning toward the idea of “solo polyamory.” 

“A lot of open relationships and non-monogamy still ends up really centering couples as like the way to do relationships, but you just have more than one” Ruby says. “Solo polyamory is reframing that and thinking, ‘Actually the relationship I have with myself, that’s a really important relationship in my life.’ A lot of the time that’s not seen as significant in the way that a romantic and a sexual partner would be.” 

Someone who is solo polyamorous might decide that self-love is the relationship they want to focus on. Ruby says she can have multiple relationships, but “the aim of any of the relationships I’m in right now” is not to end up in a couple with anyone.

Check out The Toast for more hot takes on celebrity news, and listen to The Ins And Outs for more insight into sex and relationships.