The singer faced backlash for scolding a booing crowd after Brown's win at the 2022 AMAs.
Kelly Rowland is sticking firmly in her support of Chris Brown. The 41-year-old has been facing backlash after sharing loving words for the singer during Sunday's 2022 American Music Awards, but is doubling down on her .
"I believe that grace is very real," Rowland explained when approached by a TMZ reporter on Monday. "And we all need a dose of it. And before we point fingers at anybody, we should realize how grateful we are for every moment that we get. Even our own things that we have. I just think it's important to remember to be human. We are humans."
When asked if Brown should be "forgiven" for his troubled past, including his domestic violence toward ex-girlfriend Rihanna which came to light in February 2009, the Fantasy Football actress said, "We all need to be forgiven for anything that we could be doing. Anything that we're thinking. We all come up short in some kind of way. And grace is real. We are humans. And everybody deserves grace."
Rowland was tasked with presenting the award for Favorite Male R&B Artist, where Brown was up against Brent Faiyaz, GIVĒON, Lucky Daye, and The Weeknd. After reading off the "Go Crazy" singer's name, Rowland's announcement was met with boos from the audience, and the Destiny's Child alum was not here for it.
"Chris Brown is not here tonight, so I'm accepting this award on his behalf," Rowland began before quieting the crowd. "Excuse me, chill out."
She continued, "But I want to tell Chris, thank you so much for making great R&B music, and I want to tell him thank you for being an incredible performer. I'll take this award, bring it to you. I love you. Congratulations, and congratulations to all the nominees in this category."
Rowland's praise was met with derision on social media, with many Twitter users citing Brown's multiple arrests for assault, and allegations of domestic violence and rape as reasons not to lend the singer "grace."
After he was sentenced to five years probation for assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna, he made headlines in 2011 after breaking a window and leaving the Good Morning America set when Robin Roberts asked him about the domestic violence.
In 2013, he allegedly got into a physical altercation with singer Frank Ocean, reportedly calling him gay slurs and threatening to shoot the people he was with. Soon after that, Brown was arrested and charged with felony assault after getting into an argument with a man in front of the W Hotel and allegedly punching the man in the face.
In 2016, a woman accused Brown of threatening her with a gun inside his house, but he was not convicted.
In 2017, Karrueche Tran was granted a five-year restraining order against Brown, alleging that the singer had threatened her and demanded that she return items he had gifted her. In court papers obtained by ET at the time, Tran claimed Brown threatened to kill her and that he physically abused her while the two were dating.
The documents also stated that Tran claimed that Brown told "a few people" that he was going to kill her and that he punched her in her stomach twice "years ago" and pushed her down the stairs.
"He said if no one else can have me, then he's gonna 'take me out,'" she claimed. "I have text messages from December 2016 to January 2017, where he's made several threats, including beating me up and making my life hell."
Despite the various accusations and allegations -- which have followed Brown as recently as the last three years in which he's been accused of rape and battery -- the 33-year-old has still maintained an active fan base and praise from the music industry.
Brown's AMAs win came after the singer claimed the AMAs canceled his performance with Ciara in honor of the 40th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s Thriller at the last minute. On Saturday, Brown took to his Instagram to share a video of himself and backup dancers rehearsing his song, "Under the Influence," before transitioning into a performance of Jackson’s hit, "Beat It."
Brown also posted a photo of him and Ciara in rehearsal to his Instagram Story.
On Monday, Ciara got in on the conversation and shared a video that featured her in the same rehearsal space as Brown doing the choreography for "Thriller." In another portion of the video, Ciara rehearses a portion of Jackson’s "Billie Jean."
"MJ thank you for the inspiration you’ve given us all! Thriller 40th Anniversary. @ChrisBrownOfficial you’re a rare breed of this generation. Always fun to rock with you 💃🏽," the "Level Up" singer wrote.
The same day, in a statement to ET, a Dick Clark Productions spokesperson clarified that the tribute being pulled was a matter of creative direction and no fault of Brown's.
"Live shows change all the time, it’s the nature of this business; unfortunately, this element of the AMAs didn’t come together as we couldn’t align on the performance, to no fault of Chris Brown," the statement read.
A source later told ET, "Ciara was confirmed to perform with Chris as part of the Michael Jackson tribute. No reason was given as to why it was pulled."
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