Chris Brown
Chris Brown finds an unlikely defender
Rosie O'Donnell champions the temper-prone performer -- but she misses the big picture about his behavior
Chris Brown (left) and Rosie O'Donnell Is Chris Brown — convicted felon, smasher of windows, ripper of shirts — a “victim”? That’s the verdict from no-stranger-to-controversy-herself comic and radio host Rosie O’Donnell, who took to Twitter Monday to follow up on last week’s broadcast in which she opined, “I just don’t know why this kid seems to be held to a different standard than anyone else.” “i have compassion for both he and rhianna – its is not a simple discussion – layers n layers… he is a victim too,” she wrote. Compassion in an undeniably noble commodity, and it takes great strength and character to forgive those who’ve truly atoned for their actions. O’Donnell went on to say, “I do not condone it – I understand it,” referring to Brown’s own troubled history, one in which the deck of appropriate role modeling seems to have been stacked significantly against him.
Brown, whose parents divorced when he was young, has long claimed — and his mother affirms — that his stepfather was physically abusive. “He used to hit my mom … He made me terrified all the time, terrified like I had to pee on myself,” Brown told Giant magazine in 2007. “I remember one night he made her nose bleed…. I hate him to this day.” (Brown’s former stepfather Donnelle Hawkins has denied the accusations, saying Brown is trying to make him a “scapegoat.”) He has lived his own very public experience of domestic abuse; two years ago he was charged with felony battery and took a plea deal after a violent dispute with then-girlfriend Rihanna.
Whatever the root causes of his actions, Brown, at the still very young age of 21, has certainly struggled to restrain his volatile personality — and had to do it with all the pressures of international fame and constant media scrutiny. O’Donnell is not the only person to ask whether Brown, who himself tweeted (and then deleted) recently that “I’m so over people bringing this past shit up!!!!” is being excessively demonized as an abuser in a way that the Charlie Sheens and Mel Gibsons of the world are not.
Yet the issue for Brown — whose success, by the way, has barely been dented throughout any of this — is that he repeatedly demonstrates an inability to, as they say, “break the cycle” of unacceptable behavior. It’s not “past shit” when he keeps acting out. Just one week after happily showing off his certificate of completion in a domestic violence program, Brown was taunting singer Raz-B as a “dick in da booty ass lil boy” on Twitter — a spiteful jibe at a man who claimed he was sexually abused as a teenager. And then, two weeks ago, he famously went bananas after a tough interview with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America,” trashing his dressing room and shattering a window. Not that the “GMA” freakout slowed down his new album, “F.A.M.E.,” one bit; it subsequently debuted at the top of the Billboard chart.
Is there room in the public’s heart for what O’Donnell brands “compassion” toward a young man who obviously has a great deal of growing up to do, regardless of what his fancy domestic abuse program certificate of completion may say? Of course there is. But when O’Donnell said on her radio program that “I actually felt bad for Chris Brown during that interview and I felt mildly angry at Robin Roberts” and that she wishes she could ask her, “Can you take a look at this again and see if maybe you find in any way your responsibility in this?” she seems to be conveniently omitting any mention of Brown’s responsibility as well. And frankly, at this point, I’m finding it harder and harder to feel too bad for a guy whose ridiculous tantrums keep getting rewarded in the form of television appearances and No. 1 albums.
Though O’Donnell says she’s not condoning Brown’s actions (she tweeted Monday that “no one I know thinks it’s ok – I don’t think it’s ok – to understand how and y it happens is helpful to all”), a further acknowledgment of the wrongness of his shenanigans and of the obvious amount of work the guy’s got to do would go a long way toward clarifying her point. Mercy is rare and necessary, but without justice and true changed behavior, it’s meaningless.
Mary Elizabeth Williams is a staff writer for Salon and the author of "Gimme Shelter: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream." Follow her on Twitter: @embeedub. More Mary Elizabeth Williams.
The media’s treatment of Charlie Sheen vs. Chris Brown
He gets heated after an interview about his arrest, and raises the question: Why were we so easy on Charlie Sheen?
Chris Brown on "Good Morning America." Chris Brown should be on top of the world. His new album F.A.M.E. dropped today, with already three No. 1 songs. It’s also currently the most downloaded album on iTunes. So when Brown went on “Good Morning America” to talk to Robin Roberts, he was probably in a pretty good mood, and put on a game face to discuss his current status with Rihanna, his ex-girlfriend and pop star whom Brown assaulted before the Grammys in 2009.
But Robin didn’t let the topic drop, and kept maneuvering their discussion back to the felony charges that Chris pleaded guilty to, along with the restraining order that the R&B star is trying to get downgraded. Chris struggled through the segment and then allegedly started getting violent: breaking the glass of his dressing room window, screaming, and ripping off his shirt.
Continue Reading CloseDrew Grant is a staff writer for Salon. Follow her on Twitter at @videodrew. More Drew Grant.
Chris Brown blows his redemption
The singer goes on a vicious, homophobic Twitter rant after completing his rehabilitation for beating Rihanna
FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2010 file photo, singer Chris Brown attends 'The Gentleman's Ball' hosted by GQ Magazine at the Edison Ballroom in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)(Credit: AP) Everyone deserves a second chance. On Wednesday, Chris Brown used up his.
Just last week, the convicted abuser who assaulted then-girlfriend Rihanna nearly two years ago in a beating heard round the world, was showing off his certificate for completing a 52 week domestic violence course. But the man who announced last year he wanted to be “a role model” — who said, “I want to definitely be a man and learn who I am and learn how to control emotions” — behaved like neither a role model nor a real man when singer Raz-B offhandedly tweeted, “Im just sittin here Thinking how can niggas like @ebenet & @ChrisBrown disrespect women as Intelligent as @HalleBerry11 @Rihanna.” That seems to have been sufficient provocation to undo all that anger management Brown’s been striving toward. He swiftly – and crudely — shot back, “nigga you want attention! Grow up nigga!!! Dick in da booty ass lil boy.”
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Mary Elizabeth Williams is a staff writer for Salon and the author of "Gimme Shelter: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream." Follow her on Twitter: @embeedub. More Mary Elizabeth Williams.
Chris Brown: Crying comeback kid?
The singer performs a weepy tribute to Michael Jackson, and viewers ask whether it was real or staged
Unless you missed last night’s BET Awards and the frantic chatter that ensued on Twitter, you know that Chris Brown had a meltdown during his Michael Jackson tribute. He flawlessly performed a medley of his idol’s songs, until he got to “Man in the Mirror.” The singer, whose image hasn’t recovered since he assaulted pop star Rihanna nearly a year and a half ago, broke down onstage — his voice cracked and he appeared to weep, unable to continue singing. He let the background vocals play as he dropped to a knee, pounded the air and gasped for breath. The audience looked on in shock.
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Tracy Clark-Flory is a staff writer at Salon. Follow @tracyclarkflory on Twitter. More Tracy Clark-Flory.
Chris Brown denied visa over abuse
The day before his European tour kicks off, the singer is denied entry to the U.K. on account of his rap sheet
FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2010 file photo, Chris Brown models at Naomi Campbell's Fashion For Relief - Haiti fashion benefit, shown during Fashion Week in New York. (AP Photo/Stuart Ramson, file)(Credit: AP) It turns out domestic abuse wasn’t the best career move for Chris Brown. Sure, many of his die-hard fans welcomed him with open arms after he assaulted then-girlfriend Rihanna, but the same cannot be said for the United Kingdom. The day before the start of his European tour, Brown has been denied a visa on account of his rap sheet, and the tour has been postponed.
“We reserve the right to refuse entry to the UK to anyone guilty of a serious criminal offense,” a UK Border Agency spokesperson told AFP. “Public safety is one of our primary concerns. Each application to enter the UK is considered on its individual merits.” That raises the question of whether Brown was actually considered a credible threat to public safety, and whether all abusers are treated equally by the Border Agency, but officials declined to comment further. It certainly sends a powerful message, though: Britain isn’t playing around when it comes to domestic violence.
Tracy Clark-Flory is a staff writer at Salon. Follow @tracyclarkflory on Twitter. More Tracy Clark-Flory.
Chris Brown still doesn’t get it
On Larry King, the singer proved "the cycle of violence" is hard to beat. Can his career (or his future) be saved?
Chris Brown on "Larry King Live." 
CNN
Chris Brown on “Larry King Live.”
Chris Brown does not do penance well. On “Larry King Live” last night, the superstar singer, better known lately as the guy who beat up Rihanna, appeared eminently uncomfortable in his new self-appointed job of “role model.” Clad in that baby blue V-neck sweater and matching bow tie and flanked by his mother and his attorney, celebrity ambulance chaser Mark Geragos, he looked more like a Care Bear than a convicted domestic abuser.
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Mary Elizabeth Williams is a staff writer for Salon and the author of "Gimme Shelter: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream." Follow her on Twitter: @embeedub. More Mary Elizabeth Williams.
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