Brian Austin Green spoke for the first time about his secret ’90s romance with “Martin” star Tichina Arnold.
The “Beverly Hills, 90210” alum, 52, told “Funny Knowing You” podcast listeners Wednesday that he and the actress, 56, met “working together” and “got along really well.”
He explained, “Hip-hop was my world. I was doing hip-hop clubs. I was going to all the places where hip-hop was existing. … You usually date the people that you’re around. So, of course, I was dating majority black women at the time because we had common interests.”
Brian Austin Green spoke about his and Tichina Arnold’s 1990s romance for the first time on Wednesday. Dean Cole/Youtube
Green and Arnold (pictured above in January 2019) had “common interests” and “got along really well.” GC Images
Green, however, became “insecure” when Arnold was “very clear on day one” that no one “could know” they were “fooling around.”
He recalled, “I was in my early 20s. I was living in a culture that wasn’t accepting of me. But there was no way to get out of it because that was just where my brain and my heart were.
“I have someone who I’m attracted to who’s telling me, like, ‘You can’t tell anybody,’” the actor continued. “I think, for me, it really triggered something like, ‘Oh, OK. I’m not good enough for any of this. You don’t even want your friends to know that you’re hanging out with me.’”
However, the actress (pictured above in 1996) was “very clear” that their connection must remain secret. ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
This made Green (pictured above in 1992) feel “insecure,” he recalled. Getty Images
Although Arnold later “flipped” and “was cool” with going public, Green had already made a “subconscious switch” not to consider them in a “real relationship.”
As for where the duo stands now, Green said, “That’s my girl. I will always have her back. She has always had my back.”
He broke his silence on the throwback connection one month after Arnold appeared on the same podcast and revealed her “great experience” with Green.
The actor made a “subconscious switch” not to consider their romance “real.” Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
On Wednesday, however, Green noted, “That’s my girl. I will always have her back. She has always had my back.” Dean Cole/Youtube
She told host Deon Cole in the December 2025 episode that while the “BH90210” star was a “really nice guy,” she was the one to call it quits.
“I said, ‘The reason why we’ve come to the end of our road is because I see you dating all these black women. Now you’re dating me, and you’re not going to end up with a black woman. You’re going to share your riches and your legacy with someone white. And so I’m getting off this train,’” Arnold claimed.
She quipped that she’s “very good with endings.”
The “Everybody Hates Chris” alum noted that she “knew [the relationship] wasn’t going” anywhere from the start.
Arnold (pictured above in May 2025) revealed the throwback relationship last month. FilmMagic
While the duo had a great experience, Arnold predicted Green (pictured above in October 2021) would end up with “someone white.” GC Images
She added, “I’m just attracted to black men, like, that’s my natural. It comes down to everything, just the pheromones, the smell and everything.”
Green went on to welcome children with ex-girlfriend Vanessa Marcil, ex-wife Megan Fox and fiancée Sharna Burgess, whom he proposed to in June 2023.
Arnold, for her part, was married to Lamon Brewster from 1991 to 1995, as well as DaRico Hines from 2012 to 2016.