2010s Baddie: Karrueche
As requested, I am writing the 2010s Baddie entry: Karrueche Tran. Karrueche is one of the Tumblr 2010s baddies in the “swag” “it girl” era. She isn’t your typical 2010s Baddie in the sense that the others are, but she still had her impact on Tumblr and Instagram. Read below to find out how she evolved beyond her past, and her journey in remaining true to herself.
Karrueche Tran
born May 17, 1988 (Age 37)
Hailing from LA, Karrueche was born to a Vietnamese mother and a Black father. Her parents separated when she was young, but she has always remained close to her mother and her father.
Karrueche began her career as a celebrity stylist working at Nordstrom in the Westfield Topanga mall in Canoga Park, CA from 2009-2012.
She modeled for various brands and had an interest in fashion. As we know, Karrueche’s claim to fame was dating the broken R&B singer, Chris Brown (OH BROTHER THIS GUY STINKS!)
Karrueche met Chris Brown on a styling job. Chris is known for his eccentric fashions, and I believe he and Karrueche bonded over that. In my research, it is uncertain how long they were dating before they transitioned their careers to the public eye in 2011. Chris had just gotten through the aftermath of his abusive relationship with Rihanna, who was on and off again multiple times.
Karrueche stated that she and Chris started as friends.
She said: “I met Chris, actually, on a styling job. I was a personal assistant to a stylist. That was the direction I was going in my career. I was on this job. We met. You know, he did his whole charming thing. The base of our relationship started as us just being friends. It was work related. I didn’t have sex with him, anything like that. Then, you know, I got into my emotions and I fell in love with him.”
Things went downhill when Karrueche returned from the store and saw Rihanna and Chris booed up at a basketball game on national television!!!
Imagine seeing this shit, I would’ve lost my mind. Everyone blowing you up because your man is back with his ex girlfriend, and y’all are basically playing sister wives! (and yet, people saw Karrueche as the hoe)
“I’ve never dated a celebrity before so it was very new to me — paparazzi and all that,” Tran said. “And then, even the situation with Rihanna, you know the reason why people tuned into this so much was because it’s relatable: I have girlfriends, I have family who’s gone through the same situation. It’s the case of the ex. We all go through it, do you know what I’m saying? In this case, my boyfriend is a celebrity whose ex-girlfriend is an even bigger [celebrity] … so, not only am I fighting a battle with her, I’m fighting a battle with her 14 million fans or whoever else.”
Rihanna and her fans relentlessly bullied Karrueche on Twitter and Instagram. She was given problematic nicknames such as “rice cake” and “homewrecker” (despite Chris constantly cheating and spreading his seed across Cali), and minimized to a rapper/singer’s whore.
Karrueche shrank under this criticism, and we didn’t hear much from her until she got back together with Chris.
Chris was always OBSESSED with Karrueche. He constantly went on rants about her on social media. Like…constantly. Even his BM looks like her (and yes, he had a baby on Karrueche… she found out from social media). This was the beginning of Karrueche’s saturn return.
It’s to the point of him stalking her, threatening her, and assaulting her. She was granted a 5-year restraining order against him in 2017. Karrueche went on to briefly date Quavo and had a long-term relationship with NFL player Victor Cruz from 2017 to 2021.
Relationship Status and Advice.
I will say, I admire that Kae did not become male-centered when she easily could’ve been.
She stated recently that dating is hard because the industry is close-knit. When reflecting on her turn-ons and turn-offs, she finds football players to be a bit of a turn-on, but says that rappers and singers are a hard no because she can’t “deal with that lifestyle.” And who could blame her for that?
Kae said he still believes in marriage. She regards it as a piece of paper, and the Disney girl in her wants to have a wedding. Her focus isn’t about marriage, it’s about the right person. She admits feeling pressured because she’s 36, and her “biological clock is ticking”. She said she is letting go of what she thinks life should be. Kae says she is content with being in her own space, and possibly God could be redirecting her.
She says you have to be open-minded, and have to go through various partners to see what you like or don’t like.
"Now, I am in a place I can be more vocal and say no. I can identify it, and that helps me to know if that’s my person or not.”
She stated that she was codependent when she was younger. She feels you have to make yourself happy first before you can be happy with anyone.
Acting Career!
Karrueche has various accolades. She won Outstanding Digital Daytime Series for The Bay in 2016-2017, shared with the cast and crew. She went on to win a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Daytime Fiction Program at the 2021 Daytime Emmy Awards. Her win made her the first person of Asian Pacific American descent (Vietnamese American) to win an Emmy for Lead Actress.
She moved on to star in Claws as Virginia Loc. The show lasted from 2017-2022.
Prior to this, she wasn’t booking much, and she was going to quit acting. She listened to her heart and followed what she wanted to do. That’s when she upped her focus on acting classes, and that’s how she booked Claws, which changed her life.
This journey wasn’t easy for her at all like some may believe. Karrueche took a lot of acting classes. She remarked that people underestimated her because she didn’t come from a background of famous parents. Despite having accolades, Karrueche is still doing both auditions and deals. She acknowledges that she still does self-tapes, despite having Emmys, she always likes to hustle.
After awhile, you have to pick yourself up off of the floor and say, you know what? This isn’t for me.
Whatever God has is something coming that’s bigger and better and for you. For awhile, I would say what am I doing wrong? Judging myself, comparing myself…that’s not fair to take away from myself.
Karrueche used to do YouTube frequently, and I do believe if she were interested she would’ve been good at it…but our girl is booked and busy!
Kae was given a lot of opportunities, but declined due to not feeling like it had “moral longevity”. I love this, and a lot of people in the industry don’t have that mindset.
“I think something I’ve grown comfortable with is getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. I like structure, and I need my schedule. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out like that. Even on set, and in the industry, sometimes you’re supposed to be there for 6 hours and you end up there for 12 hours.”Kae Aesthetic.
2010s baddie vibezzz
Tattoos!
Like I mentioned in the India Love article, I have always wanted a hand tattoo because of Karrueche. She is literally known for this hand tattoo.
Karrueche’s Chinese dragon tattoo - ICONIC
leg tattoo resembling a seam on silk stockings
“A beautiful life does not just happen, it is built daily by prayer, humility, sacrifice and love. May that beautiful life be yours always.”
“where there is love there is life”
“an ounce of blood is worth more than a pound of friendship.”
“the past is practice”
Slim Thick!
She puts on for the petite girls. She is the anomaly of my 2010s baddie series in that she stayed with her natural body and still ate on Tumblr. (If she DID get anything done, I cannot tell lmao) Here is her body over the years. She’s goals in last decade and now lol.
Kae the Stylist!
Blonde Baddie!
For a period of time (2012-2015 ish), Karrueche had blonde hair. I remember being on Tumblr and seeing other girls doing the same color, so it definitely had some type of impact. This was also around the time Tinashe was coming up too, so blonde in various shades was in at the time.
She went blonde again with her short hair last year!
A photo from Karrueche 8 months ago. LOL! This is probably why she got rd of the short blonde.
Classic Jet Black!
If you ask me, the jet black looks better. I love a good press, though so I’m biased. Karrueche also wears clip ins/weaves.
Finger Waves & Short Cut!
I have to admit the short hair suits her face the best currently!
Karrueche’s Old Makeup
Clean Girl Makeup & Clean Soft Glam
She has always looked the best in soft glam, not heavy makeup. As I get older, I kinda see this for myself too. It makes me feel soooo aged but it really does look good.
Karrueche mentions that her routine has come a long way. She said she doesn’t like highlighter on her face because she feels it washes her out. She likes her face defined, and rarely likes glittery eyes. She likes mattes. She hates heavy and big lashes, which makes sense if we compare her 20s makeup to her 30s. She said in the same interview that she is super picky with her glam.
I’d love to see a current 2025 makeup routine!!!
Karrueche’s Skincare.
“If we listen to our bodies, it always tell us what it means.” She mentions that half of her skincare is from good genetics, as she didn’t deal with acne. Once she started getting into skincare, she had a fixation on eye patches and ice cryo tools. She loves at home facials, and at home remedies such as a yogurt + honey mask, avocado + honey mask, aloe vera for hair and skin as skincare doesn’t always have to be expensive.
Interview Cliffs
I watched multiple Karrueche interviews to prepare for this article, just to see where she is now. Any information you see is a mixture of her 2024 and 2025 interviews. I put in work y’all!
In this April 2025 interview (which is so timely for the article I’m putting out and made this entry the wait y’all lol), Karrueche reflects on her fame, healing, and building her name.
She discusses trying not to box herself in and overthinking, and being more present. She states that her acting has proven to herself that she needs to grow and prepare for what happens.
Karrueche is very close to Christina Milian. When asked, she said:
“I think that’s like the energy we share. The aura, the energy… we just, like, get each other. We share the same experience… we are like-minded and not mean girls.”
Karrueche states that she is private, and when she went through her major shifts, she had her friends around her. I do think that stopped her from spiraling in her worst moments. She says that she has sustained friendships from high school and middle school.
Kae says she still wants to get married and still believes in marriage. She regards it as a piece of paper, and the Disney girl in her wants to have a wedding. Her focus isn’t about marriage, it’s about the right person.
She discusses how she had jewelry collections blending Vietnamese culture (jade), and an LA collection with her being from LA. She states that she likes her businesses to be from the heart, not random collections. The RuechieBeauty is mentioned to be a hard endeavor for her. The name was the hardest part for her.
She stated right now she is in her “auntie era”, and doesn’t go out as often. Kae used to go out a lot in her 20s, but now loves her rest. She doesn’t drink much, she is known for making dinner for her friends. She said the girl from 10 years ago (her at 26) would be surprised that she doesn’t go out anymore, and that she was a different person. Now, she is a homebody in her “slip and robe” and “super chillin’.
People saw Kae in the media for one thing, and for someone who wanted to branch out, she had to focus on herself and drown out all of the noise. She stated she doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone, and that it took a long time for the industry to separate her. She stated that’s what it came with to date someone with that type of stature.
“I don’t let it affect me. I’ve gotten to a point where I don’t feed into people’s comments as much as I used to. It’s kind of just like, whatever, okay. If that’s what you think. I’m not going to prove I’m KARRUECHE, they’ll know soon enough. If you want to think of me of that person, fine, then whatever. I’m still going to be on the couch making my home remedies, my tea, and my mask!” She stated she was blessed to grow up with morals and standards, and that’s how she’s remained graceful. Kae stated that she likes that she can take the high road, and be as positive as she can. She acknowledges she isn’t perfect, still growing, and how to be better as a friend, daughter, etc.
“We all have our flaws, but I have always maintained my integrity.”
"When I think about life, I think about the foundation. Family, friends, work, self… How can I become better at all of those things?"“I like to be mysterious. I like to keep that mystique about me, you know? [laughs]… I try not to be too petty, especially on social media.”Healing with Karrueche!
In 2023, Karrueche’s father, DeVon Minters, passed away. She stated she received the call and the next morning she was on a flight to San Francisco to gather his things, and sort out funeral arrangements.
Kae and her father, DeVon Minters - rest in peace❤️
How can I be normal? How can I be regular? How can I enjoy and have fun when this just happened?
Karrueche acknowledges her Dad would have told her to go enjoy Sundance for the premiere of her movie, Divinity. It was a sci-fi film, and she believes he would have loved it.
She stated she spent a lot of time with herself, reading self-help books, doing yoga, and attending therapy. She tried to do therapy back when she had her breakup, and hated it.
Karrueche said she tried again later in life in her early 30s (on par with her return). She currently has a Black therapist, and adores her.
“Sometimes we just need…a release to talk about something without any opinions from somebody that might be connected to you or that knows you. You know? It’s different from talking to your homegirl. A therapist will help you figure out your patterns, what stemmed from your childhood, from this situation that happened, and from what you did or didn’t get from your parents. All that trickles into who we are today, and some of that needs a little bit of work, especially when it comes to careers, relationships, friends, family. Like, we have patterns that we don’t even realize, and my therapist has helped me, you know, realize my patterns, especially with dating and men that I go for/dating a certain type of man."Karrueche states she has developed a relationship with God. She stated she went through a period of not knowing if she would have a job, and felt thankful and grateful because God came through and had the right plan for her. She believes God is always there. She prays nightly, tells Him how thankful she is.
“I bottle things up. I’m not an emotional person. I’ll sit in my room and think about it to myself. It builds, and it builds, and it builds, and that bottle one day it bursts. To be able to let it out, feels so good."She acknowledges that dating patterns come from issues growing up, and being used to certain behavior. She states that’s a part of self care, self discovery, and wanting to be the best version of herself. To maintain authenticity, she says she doesn’t care for titles and doesn’t want it to control her because it’s temporary and she’s in things for the long haul/longevity.
While she says it’s “out of her character” to do a tell-all like people have requested, she would love to write a book on self growth and her discovery. I’m looking forward to that book!!!
Recommended self help books from Karrueche:
The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz
Karrueche often tells herself not to take things personal (which is one of the four agreements). She repeats to herself that it is outside of her control, in order to quell her ego.
“Always invest in you, always do things to fill your cup, always have something going on.”“Where there is love, there is life. I believe living in your heart, and through love, whether it’s at work, with your friends, in a relationship, walking down your hall, saying hello to somebody you don’t know…the essence of love and caring with somebody is everything.”“Everything is always going to work out, regardless of what happens. It’s always going to work out."
I hope you enjoyed my article and got something from this 2010s Baddie, learned some things you didn’t know about her before, and helped you think.
