James Brown’s Daughters Recall Going Through Period Of ‘Not Liking Their Father’ After Witnessing Him Abuse Their Mother As Children: ‘I Heard A Lot Growing Up That Could Have Damaged Me For A Lifetime’

James Brown’s Daughters Recall Going Through Period Of ‘Not Liking Their Father’ After Witnessing Him Abuse Their Mother As Children: ‘I Heard A Lot Growing Up That Could Have Damaged Me For A Lifetime’

It’s safe to say that time has healed all wounds for the daughters of late legend James Brown.

Earlier this week, James Brown’s new documentary, ‘James Brown: Say It Loud,’ premiered on A&E, giving viewers an extensive look at his life outside the limelight.

James Brown

Amid the conversation surrounding the four-part series, James Brown’s daughters, Deanna (55) and Yamma (51), opened up about the trauma they endured at the hands of the controversial funkster in a recent interview.

When speaking on the impact of watching the “Please, Please, Please” singer physically abuse their mother, his then-wife, Deidre “Deedee” Jenkins, as a youngster, Yamma told the outlet,

“When you see a family member being hurt, you’re not feeling the best about the person that’s hurting them. I was flat-out upset [and] mad with my dad at that moment.”

Admitting that it’s something that she still occasionally wrestles with in adulthood, Yamma added:

“I still go back to that place every now and then. Not to belittle my dad, but flashing back over my own life and the domestic violence situation in my life, thinking how much of that shaped me.”

James Brown w/ daughter Yamma

At the tender age of six, Yamma recalled having to intervene during an instance where she spotted Brown hitting Jenkins.

However, although the memories of that turbulent time in her life aren’t pleasant, the ‘Soul Sisters’ podcast host indicated that she was later able to come to a place of forgiveness.

She continued,

“I talk about it in the sense that it happened. It is an unfortunate time in anybody’s situation, anybody’s life. If they’ve ever had to go through domestic violence, they know what that’s like. And it shows that he was human because he was flawed, but it also is a time to show grace.”

Brown married Yamma and her sister’s (Deanna) mother, Jenkins, in 197o. It appears that the couple led a very tumultuous union but officially divorced in 1981.

James Brown, daughter Deanna, and then-wife Deidre

Deanna and Yamma both stand firm in the fact that their father was never aggressive with them, but his outbursts toward Jenkins brought a wedge between their father-daughter relationship at some point.

Deanna expanded:

“There was a time when I didn’t like my father. I didn’t like him because of this type of behavior. I saw a lot growing up. I heard a lot growing up that could have damaged me for a lifetime.”

She furthered,

“He never had any type of rage towards us because we were his children. That was a situation between a husband and a wife. There’s different type of love, different type of circumstances.”

Despite their father’s shortcomings, Deanna and Yamma each seem to pride Brown on his parental and musical efforts, as they’ve since carried his legacy on through many endeavors in honor of him.

James Brown w/ daughter Deanna

According to Yamma, Brown eventually apologized to Jenkins for the turmoil she experienced in their marriage.

Unfortunately, though, Brown’s ways allegedly progressed in his third marriage in 1984, which was to a woman named Adrienne Rodriguez. He made headlines for reportedly beating her with an iron pipe and shooting at her vehicle.

The ‘Godfather of Soul’ passed away in 2006 from congestive heart failure. He was 73.

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