Cori Broadus, the daughter of hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg, recently appeared on the Karamo Show to discuss her mental health. The 23-year-old started the conversation by addressing her feelings about negative comments she has received over the years, including some especially cruel ones following her announcing her engagement to her longtime boyfriend Wayne Duece in November.
“People online were saying, ‘He’s only with you because of your dad,’ ‘So does this mean I have to be ugly to get a man,’” she told the host.
Broadus went on to share that she was diagnosed with lupus at the very young age of six, hence the reason for the appearance of her skin in her announcement photos.
“[In the photo] I was very inflamed. My lupus was very very inflamed; nobody knew that so for people to go on there to say that it made me feel even lower about myself and I think when people say those certain things and you’re already dealing with insecurities it like triggers it.”
Lupus is an autoimmune disease where your immune system sees healthy cells as harmful invaders and attacks them as a result. This can lead to inflammation and harm to organs that are being attacked. A common form of lupus is systemic lupus erythematosus and it affects over 200,000 American adults.
“Even ‘til this day, I still look at myself sometimes and I have to learn how to love me, for me, naturally,” she said, regarding how lupus affects her skin and medication for it impacts her weight. “If it is the new her then you just have to embrace it.”
People who are diagnosed with lupus sometimes experience swelling, inflammation, discoloration, and rashes on their skin. The singer, entrepreneur and model also added that the majority of the negative commentary she receives are related to either her body size or her skin tone.
“As a kid I was always an outcast. My brothers are light skin, they’re slimmer … even my friends. I had lightskin friends with curly hair … I was always just different,” she shared. “Even the guys, they were always like ‘Can you put me on with her?’ and I was like ‘Why don’t you want to be put on with me?’ I was the homegirl.”
Having these negative and hurtful experiences growing up contributed to Broadus’s battle with depression and suicidal ideation, which she’s been open about. The singer says the hateful online comments still make her question her self-image and relationship at times. However, she’s choosing to use her experiences to empower other young women and help facilitate healthy self-esteem in them.
“My goal now is to talk to young women, talk to young boys, so this stuff can be instilled in them when they’re younger,” she said. “Because if I had this stuff instilled in me when I was younger, whatever anybody had to say about me wouldn’t have mattered — because I know how I look, I know how I feel and I’m fine with it.”