Chris Brown thinks he’s been unfairly “cancelled” ever since he brutally assaulted Rihanna in the early 2000s, despite a steady career and heaps of celebrity endorsements. Who’s gonna tell him?
In a series of Stories posted to his Instagram, Brown went on a rant slamming people for still “hating him” after the 2008 assault, claiming other white stars with assault allegations against him have not been the subject of “cancel culture” like he has.
“If y’all still hate me for a mistake I made as a 17-year-old please kiss my whole entire ass,” he wrote on Insta.
“I’m fucking 33. I’m so tired of y’all running with this narrative . . . All y’all can suck my dick disrespectfully.”
Chris Brown drops receipts of white domestic abusers 😨 pic.twitter.com/6zHuoxbzZP
— KING 👑 (@Splashystackss) February 17, 2023
Telling people who are upset about the domestic violence you committed to suck your dick is a… choice.
He then posted pictures of Sean Penn, Mel Gibson, Nicolas Cage and Emma Roberts — just to name a few — and wrote, “Where are [sic] the cancel culture with these white artist that date underage women, beat the fuck out their wives, giving bitches AIDS. Oh. That’s right . . . they are your buddies. No more fake love from me . . . stay out my way or get ran over. Simple as that.”
While it is absolutely true that white celebrity abusers do not face the same scrutiny as Black abusers, and it’s right that all these people have mostly gotten out of their legal troubles unscathed, it’s also an incredibly shit take to then claim this warrants everyone forgetting about *your* history of violence, too.
Let’s unpack this all, shall we?
For one thing, Chris Brown was 17 when rumours he was dating Rihanna began to swirl, *not* when he assaulted her. That incident took place in 2008 just weeks before he turned 19. So no, he was not a minor when he attacked her.
The police reports of the attack are especially brutal and reading them is a good reminder as to why Rihanna fans haven’t forgiven him for assaulting her, even if she has.
A sworn statement provided to LA detectives said Brown “punched Rihanna repeatedly in the face and arm, even biting her ear all while manoeuvring their rental down the street”. She was covered in blood after the assault and images of her swollen face still circulate on the internet today.
Calling the attack a “mistake” he made as a kid is also an interesting downplay considering there have been a slew of domestic violence and rape allegations against Brown from other former partners and alleged hook ups that have spanned more than a decade since he assaulted Rihanna.
https://twitter.com/UmEarth2Chelsea/status/1626663559261220865?s=20
A civil suit was filed by a woman against Chris Brown just last year, where she claimed he’d raped her on a yacht in Miami in December 2020.
In 2018, a different woman sued Brown for allegedly sexually assaulting her in a party at his home.
In 2017, his ex Karrueche Tran was granted a five-year restraining order against him after he allegedly sent her threatening voice messages and texts because she wouldn’t return money and gifts he gave her when they were dating.
Karreuche literally played the messages with Chris Brown threatening to literally *k:ll* her ON HER VOICEMAIL and in TEXT MESSAGES for the judge in the courtroom and THAT is why she was awarded a 5 yr “permanent” restraining order against him. THEY DONT JUST HAND THOSE OUT.
— Kristy Yamacoochie (@brownandbella) February 17, 2023
There’s also no shortage of assault allegations against Brown from men, too. Let’s not forget when he “jumped” Frank Ocean over a parking spot in 2013. Brown punched Ocean while his mates called him homophobic slurs.
And on top of all that, he’s also not really been a nice guy, haw he? Earlier this month, Brown was criticised after he went on a hateful rant about Robert Glasper who won Best R&B Album for Black Radio III at the Grammys over him.
But despite how damning all of these allegations are, to say Chris Brown is “cancelled” is a bit of a stretch.
Chloë Bailey recently announced Brown appears on one of her new tracks, he won Favourite Male R&B Musician at the American Music Awards in 2022, he was endorsed by queen Lizzo herself in 2021, and he collabed with Drake in 2019.
He has 132 million followers on Instagram, often tops the charts, sells out concerts and has no shortage of endorsement details with brands.
Despite being barred from entering certain countries because of his history of domestic violence, Brown’s career appears to still be thriving: he’s still making money, he’s still winning awards. It begs the question, is he cancelled? Or is he just fucking facing the consequences of brutally assaulting a beloved singer?
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about domestic violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
