Investigation Discovery (ID), the same television network that exposed Nickelodeon’s history of sexual misconduct towards its teenage actors, is releasing a new documentary exposing more of singer Chris Brown’s rap sheet of domestic violence.
In March of this year, ID’s critically acclaimed docuseries, Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, detailed various accounts of sexual, verbal, physical and emotional abuse towards Nickelodeon actors like Drake Bell, Allie DiMeco, Alexa Nikolas and more. Such abuse came from behind-the-scenes staff and Dan Schneider, the face behind popular Nickelodeon shows like iCarly and Victorious.
With the positive reception to this docuseries, ID will release Chris Brown: A History of Violence on October 27. The film will cover Brown’s life from a troubled childhood to musical stardom, with a central theme asking, “How does a man with such a violent public record maintain his superstar status?” according to the film’s logline.
Brown, regarded by many as the “King of R&B,” rose to prominence for his songs “Run it!” (2005) and “Kiss Kiss” (2007), both of which made Billboard’s Top 100 list. Just two years after his second hit song, his slew of controversial domestic disputes began. In 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault for domestic violence against his then girlfriend, R&B singer Rihanna. He would go on to serve five years on probation along with community service, attending domestic violence counseling as well.
Following this case, Brown would continue to be in the spotlight for repeated physical altercations with Drake, an assault of a fan and an alleged assault of his former manager, Mike G. In 2017, another one of his girlfriends, influencer Karrueche Tran, successfully filed a restraining order against Brown, fearing for her physical safety after allegedly being stalked, punched in the stomach, pushed down stairs, threatened and cyberbullied by Brown.
Though two other women accused Brown of physically threatening and sexually assaulting them, such claims were concluded to be false after Brown pulled out receipts refuting them.
Regardless, this new documentary is focused on a new alleged victim of Brown, an anonymous woman accusing the singer of domestic abuse.
“I have not spoken about this matter publicly, but that’s the only way he can be stopped,” the accuser states in the trailer.
Following the release of Chris Brown: A History of Violence, ID will reportedly release another docuseries detailing rapper P. Diddy’s long rap sheet of sexual abuse.
The release of these two documentaries, specifically Brown’s, has been met with criticism. Many fans and supporters of the singer have taken to X to express their frustrations toward the continued focus on Brown’s history of violence.
Brown’s story is opening up wider conversations regarding the ethics of cancel culture, gender and race. In the wake of multiple male, Black celebrities like Diddy, Jonathan Majors, Nelly and others who have been accused of domestic and sexual abuse, conversations surrounding the double standards of holding influential people accountable for abuse are circulating.
Some people believe the continued limelight on Brown’s past demonstrates a bias towards “tearing down Black men,” as one X user posted.
In the past, others have claimed that the rising popularity and success of Brown’s career, specifically his Grammy nomination this year, illustrates misogyny in the #MeToo movement, arguing men are forgiven more easily than women. Then again, some people have expressed their belief that cancel culture is overly saturated with Black celebrities instead of holding white celebrities to the same level of accountability and ousting.
While there isn’t sufficient scientific research on racial disparities in cancel culture, one will find that there aren’t many, if any, articles specifically covering “white/Latinx/Asian” celebrities who have been canceled the way there are for Black celebrities.
Shannon Chatmon, Talisa Hale and Karen Roberts Grissom, the hosts of the podcast Blacktivities, point out the disparities between Black celebrities like Diddy and Brown getting canceled for sexual misconduct and abuse while white public figures like Donald Trump, accused of sex crimes, are allowed to run for president.
American rapper Freddie Gibbs has expressed similar sentiments, citing Academy-award winning filmmaker Woody Allen as an example of a white celebrity who does not face cancel culture to the same extent that Black individuals might.
On Blacktivities, the three hosts pose a question that can also be applied to Gibbs’ observations. They ask themselves why Black men tend to be the “face” of cancel culture, especially when it pertains to accusations of sexual and physical abuse.
“They’re the face of sexual assault because they’ve been sexualized and fetishized from day one,” the women theorize in their episode.
Statistics do in fact indicate that Black men and women are associated with hypersexuality more so than white individuals. Similarly, Black men are perceived as more dangerous than white men.
At the same time, pop culture writers have highlighted examples of more instances of female celebrities being criticized and canceled than men. Studies also show that women are more cautious of what they say and are more fearful of receiving backlash — what some see as analogous with cancel culture.
It seems in Brown’s situation that the intersections of his racial and gender identity make “canceling” him more complex than it appears. While he is a man, he is also a Black man, leaving his reputation to be amorphous and polarized. One thing remains certain: this new documentary will likely reveal more shocking details regarding Brown’s past that may impact viewers’ perception of his character.
What's Your Reaction?
