‘You Just Assuming What You Think You Know’: Keyshia Cole Responds to Critics about Her Connection to Antonio Brown After Posting Her ‘AB’ Tattoo

Keyshia Cole and Antonio Brown seem to be doing well in the relationship department. The Grammy-nominated singer is 100 percent supportive of her rumored boo and his music career and she displayed it by sporting a tattoo of his initials. But the jury is still out on exactly what their relationship status is.

“AB put it down on @keyshiaCole she never had a love like his before…OBVIOUSLY,” tweeted one person, captured by The Shade Room.

You Just Assuming What You Think You Know': Keyshia Cole Responds to Critics about Her Connection to Antonio Brown After Posting Her 'AB' Tattoo
Keyshia Cole seemingly confirms relationship with Antonio Brown. (Photo: @keyshiacole/Instagram.)

The “Love” singer replied, “And if you wanted to know, you could’ve taken your chan[c]es at asking. Obviously, you know nothing. You’re just assuming what you think you know.”

Dating rumors about Cole and the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver sparked in March after they were spotted getting close during a video shoot. The two collaborated musically on the track “Don’t Leave.” Despite the critics, a handful of supporters encouraged the “Love” singer to embrace her new relationship.

One person wrote, “#keyshiacole seems happy and so does #antoniobrown. Why can’t #BlackTwitter and dem be happy for our girl and see how this plays out. I’m rooting for y’all @keyshiacole.”

The mother of two replied, “Thank you! Lmao! It’s all good. I’m used to it! Always so hard on me. No love lost.”

It’s unclear if the two are relationship goals or pulling a publicity stunt on the world. But fans agree, they do look happy. Others blamed their connection on Cole’s history of dating toxic men.

Cole made headlines when she married former NBA star Daniel “Booby” Gibson. The two remained married for six years until 2017, and share their 11-year-old son, Daniel Gibson, Jr. She’s also made headlines for previous relationships with rappers such as Jeezy, Birdman, Bow Wow and the father of her youngest son, Niko Hale.

The 40-year-old denies trashing Bow Wow’s Rolls Royce after their relationship ended; in 2014, she was arrested for attacking a woman in Birdman’s home. Cole and Birdman broke up after the woman sued her and won $100,000.

But Brown has also been described as extremely toxic by his ex-fiancée and the NFL. The former All-Pro Wide Receiver allegedly cheated on Chelsie Kyriss, with whom he shares three children. And after a series of unfortunate events and an ankle injury, the 33-year-old was released from the Buccaneers earlier this year. 

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top