Photo: Kevin Mazur/David Crotty/Patrick McMullan/ Getty / DFree / Shutterstock
What about all the men who collab with him?
By Nia Tipton — Written on Oct 06, 2021
Pop star Lizzo is facing extreme backlash after a video shows her approaching Chris Brown and asking for a photo.
The interaction between Lizzo and Chris Brown was apparently the first time Lizzo had met Brown, calling him her “favorite person” in the world.
The interaction between them immediately caused an uproar on social media, with users bashing Lizzo for interacting with Brown due to his extensive history of violence against women.
Does Lizzo support Chris Brown?
In the 24-second video that was posted by a fan to Twitter, Lizzo walks up to Brown while backstage at the Millennium Tour in Los Angeles. She happily approaches the R&B singer saying, “Can I get a picture with you? Because you’re my favorite person in the whole f------ world.”
The two singers then posed for a series of pictures together, including one with Lizzo’s backup dancers.
Brown's abusive nature first became public in 2009 after Brown was arrested for physically assaulting his then-girlfriend, Rihanna. From the charges, Brown had pleaded guilty and served five years of probation, also having to do community service and attend domestic violence counseling.
In 2017, his former girlfriend, Karrueche Tran, obtained a restraining order against Brown after accusing him of punching her and threatening to kill her.
The singer was also detained in Paris in January 2019 after being accused of rape, along with two other men. In an Instagram statement following the incident, Brown called the allegations “false” and “disrespectful.”
Chris Brown’s most recent accusation was of him striking a woman following an altercation at his home in California back in June for which police were called to his estate.
For all of the abuse allegations against Brown, fans were not happy to see Lizzo deeming him as her “favorite person in the world.”
Though, there is a level of hypocrisy in the fact that Lizzo is receiving all of the backlash for getting a picture with Chris Brown, when plenty of other male artists in the entertainment industry have collaborated with him.
Since 2008, Brown has been accused of multiple incidents of violence against women yet artists like DJ Khaled, Drake, Jack Harlow, Kanye West, and more have continued to work with him.
Those male artists don’t seem to receive the same amount of criticism and backlash that Lizzo is experiencing right now.
Lizzo is not the first person to support Chris Brown, and most likely will not be the last. So for her to be getting all of the hate and judgement almost seems a bit unfair.
Of course, no one should be supporting an abuser like Chris Brown, especially when he continually shows that his behavior towards women has never changed. People like Lizzo should be called out as well, but that energy needs to be kept for the male artists who also show support towards Chris Brown.
Lizzo shouldn’t be on the receiving end of cancel culture, she should be held accountable for her actions instead. There should be no reason that Lizzo is facing more criticism than the actual abuser himself.
Lizzo, who is an avid user of social media, has not yet responded to the criticism, or has posted any of the photos taken of her and Chris Brown.
Abusers need to be held accountable for their actions, and it shouldn’t matter that people like Chris Brown are apparently loved in the entertainment industry. He has still perpetuated violence against women, and that shouldn’t be okay at all.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.