Former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Brian Austin Green has opened up about a surprising and previously concealed romantic chapter from his past, involving actress Tichina Arnold.
A Relationship Kept in the Shadows
The 52-year-old actor, best known as the ex-husband of Megan Fox, detailed the secret affair during an appearance on Deon Cole's Funny Knowing You podcast. Green revealed that he and Arnold, now 56 and famed for her role in the sitcom Martin, "ended up fooling around and kind of dating" when he was in his early twenties.
He explained that Arnold was emphatic from the very beginning that their relationship must remain completely private. "She was very clear on day one... nobody can know about this. Nobody. Like, can't tell people, can't talk about this," Green recalled.
Insecurities and Cultural Identity
For Green, who was deeply immersed in hip-hop culture at the time, this demand for secrecy triggered significant personal insecurities. He felt he was living within a culture that did not fully accept him, yet it was where his passions lay.
"I was really insecure," he admitted. "And then I have someone who I'm attracted to who's telling me like, 'Oh, you can't tell anybody.'... It really triggered something of like, 'Oh, okay. I'm not good enough for any of this.'"
This dynamic, he said, led him to subconsciously view the relationship as less than real. "This isn't a real relationship. This is just a thing that we're doing," he thought at the time, adding that the situation "didn't even start in a healthy way."
Addressing Claims and Shared Culture
Green also responded to Arnold's previous comments on the same podcast, where she suggested he was merely "experimenting" with dating black women. He firmly rejected this characterisation, explaining that his social circle naturally influenced his dating life.
"Hip-hop was my world," Green stated. "I was doing hip-hop clubs. I was going to all the places where hip-hop was existing. So, of course, I was dating majority black women at the time because it was like we had common interests."
He expressed a dislike for the term "race," preferring to focus on shared culture. "To me there are different cultures... as soon as we start changing the perspective on that and stop using the word race and instead start using the word culture then it kind of brings us all down to a more common level."
Despite the past complexities, Green stressed that he and Arnold are now on excellent terms. "I love Tichina," he said, noting he spoke to her just before the podcast. "I will always have her back. She has always had my back."
Arnold had earlier shared her perspective on their split in December, telling the podcast she ended things because she believed he would ultimately not settle down with a black woman. "You're going to share your riches and your legacy with someone white," she recalled telling him, though she affirmed he was "a good human being."
Green was later married to Megan Fox from 2010 until their divorce was finalised in 2021. They share three sons: Noah, 13, Bodhi, 11, and Journey, 9. He is now engaged to professional dancer Sharna Burgess, with whom he welcomed son Zane, three, in 2022. He also has a 23-year-old son, Kassius, with ex-fiancée Vanessa Marcil.
