Ray J is continuing a string of unusual public moments following his recent arrest, this time claiming he’s hitchhiking across the country as part of a new reality-style project—while also dealing with a six-figure lawsuit from American Express.
On Saturday, December 13, Us Weekly confirmed that the 44-year-old singer and entrepreneur posted on Instagram that he was hitchhiking from Tampa, Florida, back to Los Angeles.
Ray J explained that the trip is being filmed for a potential new show called Celebrity Hitchhiker, which he described as a social experiment focused on staying with strangers along the way.
“I’m hitchhiking right now to try to get a place to stay tonight,” Ray J said in the video. “Hopefully I can be the new family, and it can take me in and teach me about their rules and their goals and life, and then send me on my way to the next destination.”
Ray J said the goal is to make it back to Los Angeles before Christmas, adding that the journey is a “scouting run” for the pilot. He emphasized that the experience is not staged. “It’s real, and I’m all by myself,” he said. “Nobody’s with me.”
The hitchhiking reveal comes amid mounting legal issues. On November 19—just days before his arrest—American Express filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Ray J, whose legal name is Willie Norwood, and his company, Tronix Network.
According to court documents, the credit card issuer alleges breach of contract and claims Ray J and the company owe $139,849.85. The filing states that payments stopped in May, leaving the balance unpaid. Ray J has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
Tronix Network is a streaming platform that Ray J announced in 2024, though the lawsuit does not specify how the charges tied to the account were used.
During his Instagram video, Ray J appeared to reference recent turmoil without directly naming it. “I need some food, and I need shelter. Just a lot of s**t that’s happened,” he said. “And I just wanna get back home and see my kids.”
Earlier that morning, he livestreamed himself saying he was having “the worst Thanksgiving in the f***ing world.” During the broadcast, he appeared to brandish a firearm while arguing with his estranged wife, Princess Love, and others in the home.
Princess Love accused Ray J of pointing a gun at her during the incident, while Ray J claimed she was intoxicated. He was taken into custody and later released the same day. He has not formally commented on the arrest.
Ray J and Love married in 2016 and share two children, daughter Melody Love and son Epik Ray. They have filed for divorce multiple times, with the most recent filing earlier this year.
