Chris Brown – who trashed his Good Morning America dressing room Tuesday because he was upset he was asked about his past assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna – is no stranger to scandal.
In light of his most recent outburst, THR looks back at Brown’s controversial past:
FEB 2009: The singer, who has a history of abuse in his family, is
charged with two felonies in the alleged beating of Rihanna. He releases a statement: “Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired.”
JUNE 2009: He pleads guilty to a felony and accepts a plea deal of 180 days community labor and five years’ formal probation. Critics say the plea deal is not severe enough for the crime. At the same time, Brown releases a video message on his Web site: “I am very saddened and very ashamed of what I have done. I have told Rihanna countless times, and I am telling you today, that I am truly sorry and that I wasn’t able to handle the situation both differently and better.”
AUG 2009: Brown’s probation review is released to the media and reveals that he and Rihanna have had two previous violent episodes in the past. According to documents, one of the fights occurred in Europe. Brown responded by pushing Rihanna into a wall, the documents state.
DEC 2009: He lashes out (via Twitter) at Walmart after he visits a store in Wallingford, Conn., and doesn’t find his new disc
Graffiti: “I’m tired of this s—-. Major stores r blackballing my CD. Not stockin the shelves and lying to costumers. What the f— do I gotta do.” His message
prompts Walmart to release a statement of its own: “We are surprised at the comments online. All Walmart stores nationwide have carried the CD since its release, including the Wallingford store mentioned in the post.”
DEC 2009-JAN 2010: After his Walmart tirade, the singer disables his Twitter account. He returns to Twitter a short time later. “Please Follow me back, Im back on twitter for good now….I was going thru some things but ya boy is back 2010 Lets Go!” he tells fans.
JULY 2010: Rumors hit the web that before he took the stage at the BET Awards to pay tribute to the late Michael Jackson, Brown
took tear-inducing eye drops to appear more emotional. Brown’s rep slams the reports as “completely untrue.” On stage, Brown tells fans, “I let y’all down before, but I won’t do it again…I promise.”
MARCH 2011: He trashes his dressing room at ABC’s
Good Morning America, breaking a window and storming out of the building shirtless, because he is upset he was asked about the Rihanna incident.
ABC stands by the interview, releasing a statement: “As always, we ask questions that are relevant and newsworthy, and that’s what we did in this interview with Mr. Brown.” The singer
retains his spot on a March 29 episode of the network’s hit show,
Dancing With the Stars.
