'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Actor and rapper Bow Wow, whose real name is Shad Gregory Moss, was surprised by his ex-fiancée Erica Mena at the 2025 BET Awards red carpet on Monday (June 9, 2025). While the rapper was talking to Marques Houston, Erica sneaked in from behind, causing Shad to jump in surprise.
Bow Wow and Erica Mena started dating in 2014 after meeting on the popular music show 106 & Park. They got engaged, then broke up in late 2015. The actress and model hugged the rapper and asked if she could get a hug.
"Can I get a hug? It's been a while? Are you proud of me?" she said.
Instagram page @theshaderoom reposted the clip, and Marques Houston commented, jokingly saying he was trying to do his job when Erica Mena joined them mid-interview.
Trending
Although the two never shared the exact reason behind the separation, Mena told XXL Magazine in August 2016 that she left because Shad was "damaged," and she had her issues that she couldn't "mend." The media outlet reported that Bow Wow called her out for "acting and lying."
"We broke up 'cause I left. I left because, it's no secret, I've been through a lot in my life. Everyone has a different way of healing and dealing with things. I didn't know how to mend those broken issues that I had from my past. It's kind of hard being with someone who is more damaged than you are," Mena stated.
Bow Wow and Erica Mena's relationship timeline explored
The actor-rapper and Mena began dating in early 2014 after they both hosted the show 106 & Park. Mena announced their engagement on the red carpet for the 2014 BET Hip-Hop Awards when an interviewer asked about their relationship.
In June 2015, Bow Wow told XXL Magazine that they were happy together and were planning a wedding.
"Nah, we are not married yet but it's close. It's definitely getting close. You know everybody is going to hear about it when it happens. That's why we're just kicking back and chillin'. We're good and we're happy. We got a lot of big things to come, together too. It's definitely going to go down this year for sure," he stated.
The same year, the two announced their breakup. In December 2015, Erica Mena told Global Grind that she realized she made a "bad choice" when the rapper's "mask" came off. She did not explain further and stated that it was "sad" because she assumed they would have a good life after their breakup.
"When it comes to Shad, this is the man I at one point really considered marrying. He is the one I decided to say yes to, but once the mask came off, I realized I had made a bad choice. It's sad, because we had a real friendship and we could have had a good life after the fact that our relationship was over," Mena explained.
Erica then told the media outlet that she had good memories with Bow Wow as he made her realize that life could be good. Then she shared that he supposedly had a lot of inner demons, and he needed to sort those out.
"He helped me realize that there could be a good life and when it was good, it was great. He has a lot of demons he needs to deal with. He needs to talk to someone," she said.
Erica Mena married actor and rapper Safaree Samuels in 2019. However, they divorced in 2022. According to People's May 1, 2025, report, Bow Wow is currently dating Jada Pinkett Smith's niece, Jade Pinkett.
