Photo: DFree | Kathy Hutchins | Shutterstock
He's a known abuser.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Jun 22, 2022
A resurfaced video of Normani saying she can "change" Chris Brown is sparking outrage as the singer continues to face extreme backlash from her fans after appearing in Brown's newest music video.
On June 21, Brown released the video for his new single "WE (Warm Embrace)" from his upcoming album "Breezy." While Normani isn't featured on the song, the former Fifth Harmony member played Brown's love interest in the video and performed a dance routine with him.
After the release of the video, Brown publicly thanked Normani on his Instagram story, writing: "SPECIAL THANKS TO [Normani] for being an amazing artist and even greater person. Thanks for believing in me."
Normani also posted a clip of the music video to her Instagram, writing in the caption: "thank you [Chris Brown] for trusting me. one for the f-king books. WARM EMBRACE OUT NOW."
Normani's fans are now criticizing her for working with Chris Brown.
"Not Chris Brown girl," one fan commented on the singer's Instagram post, while another added, "We were rooting for you."
However, the backlash has only deepened after an undated video surfaced showing Normani claiming she could "change" Brown.
She excitedly mentions him in an interview with her Fifth Harmony bandmates and says she can "change his life" and "help him."
The backlash was even more prominent on Twitter, and at one point, Normani's name was trending on the app because of the criticism.
"Why would Normani do this to her own career? Chris Brown? Seriously?" one fan wrote on Twitter.
Another fan pointed out that Normani is an ambassador for Rihanna's lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty, and is also friends with Karrueche Tran, two women who have accused Brown of abuse.
Brown has a steep history of abuse against women that has spanned for more than a decade.
His most publicized incident involved his ex-girlfriend, Rihanna, after he assaulted her before the 2009 Grammys and a photo was leaked to TMZ showing her face full of bruises. Brown pleaded guilty to a felony assault charge.
In 2017, Brown's ex-girlfriend and actress Karrueche Tran was granted a restraining order against him after he threatened her with violence. In 2016, a woman accused Brown of threatening her with a gun inside his home.
In 2019, Brown was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Paris and was detained on charges of "aggravated rape."
The most recent incident happened in June 2021, when a woman accused Brown of hitting her during an argument in his home. According to TMZ, the woman alleged that Brown smacked her in the head hard enough for her hair weave to fall out.
On top of his consistent violence towards women, Brown also has a history of being colorist towards dark-skinned Black women, something many of Normani's fans have also brought up, considering Normani herself is dark-skinned.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.