Prince's Ex Girlfriend Claims Late Singer Could Be 'Hateful' as She Accuses 'Purple Rain' Hitmaker of Abuse
Jill Jones accused Prince of physical abuse.
April 27 2026, Updated 5:46 p.m. ET
Prince's ex-girlfriend has revealed new details of her complex – and sometimes allegedly volatile – relationship with the late pop star.
Jill Jones, who dated the Purple Rain singer for years, claimed that while Prince was "loveable" and "adorable," he also had a side that "could be hateful too."
Jill Jones' Abuse Allegations Revealed
Jill Jones claimed Prince punched her in the face over and over in 1984.
Jones alleged that she was brutally beaten by Prince in 1984. The incident was reportedly sparked when she witnessed him kissing one of her friends. According to Jones, she slapped the singer and he responded by repeatedly punching her in the face.
Although she initially wanted to press charges against him, she was allegedly told by members of Prince's inner circle that it would "ruin" his career and his upcoming tour.
Jill Jones alleged Prince apologized with 'balloons, toys and candy.'
Eventually, they "made up," but the emotional wounds remained for quite some time for Jones.
"I had a surgery and he gave me a ton of toys, and this is how the apology was: balloons, toys and candy," she continued of their rollercoaster romance.
Despite the alleged abuse, Jones claimed they were still deeply bound together.
"It was really hard for us to not be around each other," she added. "He always thought I would be there. He would always say: ‘I’m always gonna know you.’"
Why Jill Jones Waited to Come Forward
Jill Jones claimed she'd been 'waiting on an apology' from Prince for years.
Jones confessed that she'd stopped herself from speaking out so long because she'd been "waiting on an apology" – one that apparently would never come, as Prince died on April 21, 2016.
"See, this is the craziest thing with domestic violence," Jones explained, according to The Mirror. "You wait for an apology sometimes from someone that you love, you think they’re going to, and they want to move on and not talk about it, and you allow it."
Other things that may have made Jones hesitant to talk about her alleged violent experiences with the hitmaker were the time and social norms.
"It was an era of time where men did knock around their wives," Jones shared. "It was just something that happened."
Jones claimed it took her "years" to "get over" what happened between them, but she also made an effort to "forgive him" for his alleged abuse.
"He’s just a product of a time, although I’m not trying to make excuses," she added.
Other Allegations of Abuse
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Sinead O’Connor claimed Prince attacked her in the early '90s.
Around 25 years later, Jones said she was reminded of her allegedly dark past with Prince after Chris Brown beat Rihanna in 2009. At the time, the Kiss artist reportedly reached out to Brown and offered him "advice."
"I was like, ‘wow, he must have forgotten,’” Jones said, seemingly referring to Prince's own alleged history of domestic violence.
Jones also reflected on Sinead O' Connor, who alleged Prince attacked her at his Hollywood mansion in the early '90s in her memoir.
"I felt like a coward in so many ways, because I do feel like I should have been there to stand beside her," she continued. "I never saw anything happen to her, but I could have told my story. But then again, nobody wanted to hear. Nobody cared."
