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Blac Chyna continued her testimony on the stand Wednesday, going into detail about her relationships with her ex-fiancé, rapper Tyga, as well as her foray into meeting Rob Kardashian and the culmination of their tumultuous relationship.
In the more than $100 million complaint filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, the former reality star, 33, whose real name is Angela Renée White, alleges the Kardashian family conspired against her to get the TV show "Rob & Chyna" canceled, and that move greatly hindered her ability to earn income in other ways that naturally would have come as an extension of her fame from the series and social media influence.
The former exotic dancer testified as to how she accumulated much of her wealth before becoming involved with Rob, 35.
She spoke of the business entities she established after she became famous appearing in music videos with Tyga, Nicki Minaj and Future as a video vixen who rose from rags to riches. Chyna said she managed to use her acumen as a hustler and "go-getter" to set up businesses that ultimately fueled her career and became the sole receiver of her income from "Rob & Chyna" through a company she established called "88 Fin."
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Angela Renée White aka Blac Chyna attends the launch press event held at W Hollywood on Dec. 7, 2021, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Tran)
After she met Tyga on the set of the rapper’s "Rack City" music video, Chyna said the two hit it off and began seeing each other regularly.
"After the music video, we just kind of clicked and after we started dating, I would [visit Tyga] when he lived in Vegas," Chyna explained to the court. "I ended up getting pregnant with our son, King [Cairo Stevenson], 9, and moved to LA with Tyga."
At the time, Chyna said she recalled thinking, "obviously I can’t go back to what I was doing" as she had pivoted from dancing at gentlemen's clubs and told the court she "didn’t want to feel like baggage."
In 2014 Chyna launched a cosmetic beauty studio, "Lashed by Blac Chyna," and opened up a storefront in nearby Encino, California, which she said took eight months to complete and get off the ground.
"I didn’t have help from nobody," she explained of establishing her companies – four in total – and added that she used the money she earned from modeling clothes for her company "88 Fin" and put it into her other company, "Lashed by Blac Chyna," where she fixed up the storefront by installing new floors, lighting and creating a space that was the right feel for her taste.
"In one month, I made $80,000," Chyna explained of the growing business. "I was proud and it felt really good."
Blac Chyna attends Chaos Tuesdays at Red Martini on Aug. 17, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)
The social media influencer went on to explain that after she learned of her pregnancy, she and Tyga appeared in a music video for a Nicki Minaj single and during the production, Chyna had to be filmed in a way that kept her pregnancy hidden so not to reveal her growing baby bump.
"In my relationship with Tyga, he did not want anyone to know I was pregnant," Chyna said, adding that the two became engaged after the birth of their son.
Chyna said she and Tyga maintained an "up and down situation" as Tyga’s alleged cheating "put a strain on our relationship" and the pair ended their engagement in 2014. It was also around the time Chyna said she "became a single mom" and Tyga "began dating" Rob's younger sister, Kylie Jenner.
Kardashian family attorney Michael G. Rhodes would object to these comments in court.
"I’ve always been a go-getter and it felt good to figure out a business going from a dancer to a house-fiancé," she explained of her time living with Tyga while she was mothering their son in the home they shared before the breakup.
Model Blac Chyna, left, and television personality Rob Kardashian attend the Sky Beach Club at the Tropicana Las Vegas on May 28, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg)
Chyna testified that in order to continue making money, she canvassed the country making club appearances as weekend bookings because she had a young son to care for.
"I enjoyed connecting with my fans and people who had similar stories coming from the background I came from," she explained when asked if she liked the gigs she set for herself. Chyna also began posting social media promos for products which she said she only took on if she used the product herself. These included waist-trainers as well as hair, fitness, nails and teeth products.
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As Chyna fielded questions from her attorney, Lynne Ciani – who jumped around timelines – Chyna admitted that while she and Kardashian never shopped together, they "went to restaurants together" many times and took walks around their Hidden Hills neighborhood where Tyga maintained a home. Chyna added her proximity to the Kardashians was close as Tyga only lived about "six houses away."
During her testimony on Wednesday, Chyna was asked various questions about her life as an up-and-coming video model, which ultimately led to her relationship with Kim Kardashian.
"A long time ago, I was at a mall shopping and I looked and saw a cutout [of Kardashian] and took a selfie with it and posted it to social media," said Chyna. "Years later, I was going to the movies with Tyga and my phone began blowing up with people telling me Kim reposted the picture on Instagram."
"It was cool," Chyna said. "We reached out to each other and it was cool." She further relayed on the stand that eventually Chyna would attend events with the Kardashian family, including a Christmas party where she, Kardashian and Kendall Jenner would take a photo together – the image was admitted as evidence that Chyna was on the in with the Kardashian conglomerate.
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Chyna went on to explain that she and the SKIMS creator "had a pretty close friendship" that would lead to Tyga and Chyna being invited to Kardashian’s wedding to Kanye West in Paris, France.
Despite being friendly with one another for a period of time before Chyna met Rob in person, Chyna explained that after a spell in which she was a single mother, once she "decided to come and meet Rob in person" the two hit it off. Rob was living with his older sister, Khloe Kardashian at the time.
In this courtroom artist sketch, Khloe Kardashian, from left, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Kris Jenner sit in court in Los Angeles, (Bill Robles via AP)
"We were chillin’ and vibing," Chyna said of their first date – a hike through a sprawling canyon. She went on to explain that the two began dating immediately and she "felt an urge that [she] needed to help him."
"When I met him, he had super long hair, a beard and we would just talk," she explained on court record. "He was a little on the heavier side and I felt that whatever we wanted to do, we would do it."
At this time, in January 2016, Chyna described Rob as reclusive and said he often visited Chyna at her home in Tarzana, California, stating for the record that going over to Khloe’s home where Rob lived was "not an option."
"We had to get a house," Chyna explained," adding that she often encouraged Rob to "do things on your own" and told him, "it’s time to grow up and be on your own."
"Rob is super sweet, super charming – I think he’s hilarious," Chyna lauded of her former fiancé, who learned they were expecting their daughter Dream when he proposed to Chyna in her living room.
"I felt really happy," Chyna said of her pregnancy," adding that she was overly excited because "I’m with Rob and this man is going to support me and be there with me."
She also felt positive about their pregnancy as it "didn’t have to be a secret" like previously with Tyga. She also loved the way Rob treated her son, King.
With love in the air, Chyna and the Kardashian brother seemed poised to take on their own reality life as expecting parents, which is when Chyna said she began fielding offers from Lifetime for a series dedicated to theirs.
While Chyna claimed that Lifetime was offering between $100,000 and $125,000 per episode for a series on its network, the fact that the entire Kardashian family was already locked into a signed contract with E!, she lamented that "the only way to do the show was to sign with E!, with Rob" – a deal that Kris Kardashian helped broker on behalf of Rob and subsequently Chyna – although she retained her own legal counsel in Walter Mosley.
Chyna said her relationship with Jenner was "good" and said she considered the former airline stewardess "a second mom" who provided Chyna with "enlightenment" and even spoke to her about the benefits of health insurance.
A recently filed motion from Chyna’s attorney Lynne Ciani stated that "[Chyna] is fully competent to testify about the terms of the contract, i.e. her Talent Agreement with NBCUniversal, of which she is personally aware, including the episodic rate of $92,500, that after Season 2 was approved by NBCUniversal she was guaranteed payment for eight episodes, and that she never signed or authorized an amendment to her Talent Agreement."
Blac Chyna is seen leaving the LA Superior Courthouse after receiving a temporary restraining order against Rob Kardashian on July 10, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by PG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
On Wednesday, Chyna spoke about the agreement and the extra episode of a baby special that showed the birth of their daughter.
Trouble in paradise had been brewing behind the scenes and tensions would soon spill into headlines during the couple’s filming of Season 1 of "Rob and Chyna."
"Many conversations we had about Rob’s depression were off-camera, obviously," Chyna told the court. "I had never been around anybody who has dealt with depression like that. I had to put myself in his position – we all have insecurities."
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The model was asked in court about abuse allegations that she put a gun to Rob's head and wrapped an iPhone cord around his neck.
Chyna claimed that she jokingly wrapped the iPhone around Rob’s neck "not to strangle him" but to "get his attention" while he was playing video games.
Chyna’s lawyers also played a video clip in court from the night of an alleged fight between the former couple, who split in 2017.
In this courtroom artist sketch, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory W. Alarcon sits atop his bench as Blac Chyna's lawyer, Lynne Ciani addresses the court. (Bill Robles via AP)
The video actress claimed they were celebrating "Rob & Chyna" having gotten the green light for a Season 2 in December 2016 when Rob sustained his alleged injuries.
"We were just throwing money and being silly," Chyna said of a video played in court that showed Rob with a torn shirt – though she claims they were "being playful."
The allegations were originally made by her ex-fiancée in April 2020 and referenced an incident that allegedly took place in late 2016 at Kylie Jenner’s home in Hidden Hills, California.
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Chyna alleged that Rob was FaceTiming two of his friends when she took the gun off of the dresser in their bedroom and jokingly put it on him, saying, "If you ever leave me…"
Chyna claimed the threat wasn’t serious and that Rob appeared to take her actions in the same manner.
"It was not loaded," she testified. "I would never shoot Rob or anyone at that. It was just joking, like, ‘HA, HA!’"
Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian attend Blac Chyna's birthday celebration and unveiling of her 'Chymoji' Emoji Collection at Hard Rock Cafe on May 10, 2016, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by JB Lacroix/WireImage)
Rhodes cast all the events as displays of anger and aggression that made them frightened for their son and brother.
"You’re saying to the jury that you stood behind him with a phone cord and wrapped it around his neck, and that was a joke?" Rhodes said.
"Yes," answered Chyna, who generally remained composed under heated questioning.
Asked by the defense attorney Rhodes, "What on Earth possesses you to grab a gun?" she replied, "He was already messing with it, that’s why I grabbed it, I was being funny while he was on FaceTime with his friends."
Neither slept that night, Chyna testified.
He later asked, "Grabbing a gun is funny?"
"It was a joke," she said.
"To you," Rhodes replied.
"To him too," Chyna said.
In this courtroom artist sketch, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory W. Alarcon sits in court in Los Angeles, Tuesday, April 19, 2022. (Bill Robles via AP)
As court was set to resume after lunch on Wednesday, the dynamic among the Kardashian sisters remained loose and upbeat. Khloe appeared to be keeping the mood light while Kylie made sure to keep up each of her sister’s appearances. The sisters displayed a uniformed front in beige and black suits.
Off the side of the courtroom, Kris could be seen pacing up and down the aisle for minutes as the courtroom waited for Judge Gregory W. Alarcon to return to the bench from his chambers.
In the transition of Kris going from mother to manager in the blink of an instant, she seemed to be at ease at all times.
During cross-examination by Rhodes, Chyna also maintained that, after the couple got into an argument over allegations levied against Chyna by a "jealous" Rob, she called Kris Jenner out of habit since the momager had previously counseled the couple with their relationship struggles.
Rob Kardashian's former fiancée Blac Chyna said she called Kris Jenner out of habit since the momager had previously counseled the couple with their relationship struggles. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision)
"Ms. Kris glued us back together and held it all together for us," Chyna explained.
However, this time Jenner didn’t show up and instead, Chyna claims Kris' boyfriend, Corey Gamble, came over to play peacemaker and ended up escorting Rob out of the house.
Chyna went on to claim that she was never physical with Rob and that Gamble witnessed no physical violence when he arrived – only that she was trying to retrieve her phone from Rob, whom Chyna claimed grabbed it from her before going through it while he locked himself in a closet.
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Out of anger, Chyna told the court she smashed two gingerbread houses gifted to each of them by Kris before smashing a 100-inch television.
"I just kept screaming, ‘give me back my phone. Give me back my property," Chyna said, and pressed that she "let my guard and my pride down when we moved into Kylie’s [Jenner] house.
In this courtroom artist sketch, former reality television star Blac Chyna sits in court in Los Angeles, Tuesday, April 19, 2022. A jury has been seated in the trial that pits model and former reality television star Blac Chyna against the Kardashian family, who she alleges destroyed her TV career. (Bill Robles via AP) (AP)
After the incident, Chyna said she moved out of Kylie’s home because in dealing with Rob’s cheating allegations, "nothing was going to be good enough."
Rhodes suggested Wednesday that she filed the lawsuit to enhance her own celebrity.
"Is this trial a publicity stunt?" he asked.
"No not at all," Chyna said.
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"But your career benefits from the attention that you get because of this trial," Rhodes said.
"No not at all," she replied, "it’s actually been very negative."
The trial is set to resume Thursday at 12 pm ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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