The fantasy world of ‘Love & Hip Hop’ gets real for Ray J, Princess Love

What we learned while diving deep into the wild world of VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop” is that the lines between reality and heightened fantasy are blurry. The show is powered by the very real drama existing in the lives of its stars that often plays out on social media while cameras aren’t rolling.

That has proved especially true for R&B singer Ray J and his wife, Princess Love Norwood, who anchor “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood,” the West Coast installment of the wildly popular franchise that was the subject of an in-depth Sunday Calendar cover.

Weeks after cameras wrapped on the current season of “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood,” which follows the couple’s relationship along with those of their friends, the Norwoods appear to be on the outs, again.

The drama apparently started when the couple traveled to the Soul Train Awards in Las Vegas last week. Princess Love said Ray J “stranded” her and their 18-month-old daughter, Melody Love, a claim he denied.

In a since-deleted post on Instagram, Princess Love, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, further accused Ray J of abandoning her to party with strippers and escorts and said she planned on filing for divorce (their wedding was filmed for the series back in 2016).

Before the latest bit of marital discord, a family moment on the set of VH1’s reality show “Love & Hip Hop” at SIR Studios in Hollywood. From left, Ray J, Princess Love Norwood, Melody Love Norwood, Marques Houston, Yo-Yo, J-Boog (seated on the floor), Kelton “LDB” Kessee and Jerome “Romeo” Jones.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The ins and outs of their relationship have provided fodder for the docu-series, which mixes unscripted and scripted melodrama.

During an interview with The Times for Sunday Calendar, Ray J — a longtime reality TV veteran (“For the Love of Ray J,” “A Family Business”) — said filming the series has helped his personal growth.

“Watching myself on the first season of [‘Love & Hip Hop”] and seeing who I was really started to bother me,” he recalled. “Seeing how over-the-top, disrespectful I was at certain times and the people I was hurting and the fun I was having on other people’s emotions, I started to ask myself, ‘Do I really have moral values?’” That really helped me, over the seasons, grow and become a better man.”

Regardless of what happens between Ray J and Princess Love, one thing is for certain: The cameras will be rolling.

Read Gerrick Kennedy’s full report on the world of “Love & Hip Hop.”