Chris Brown may have a tougher time restoring his innocent public image than he thinks.As most have probably heard, Brown allegedly had an ugly altercation with his girlfriend Rihanna on Feb. 8, early in the morning of the Grammy Awards. Because of what were described as “horrific bruises and bite marks,” Brown went from being a pop icon to a vilified abuser in a matter of hours.Celebrities are no strangers to criminal accusations and public scandals, but what makes Brown’s case different is who he allegedly abused — another huge pop star.
Rihanna has an enormous fan base willing to personally empathize with her, and many are turning against Brown.
But Rihanna’s fans aren’t the only ones turning on him. A handful of radio stations nationwide are refusing to play Brown’s music.DJ Java Joel of Cleveland’s WAKS-FM told Rolling Stone magazine he refused to play Brown’s music after hearing of the incident.”I thought it was kind of weird to be playing the music of a man who was alleged to have beaten a woman,” he said. “It felt like the right thing to do.”Many radio and television stations haven’t taken an official position on Brown’s alleged violent outburst, but each one refusing to air his music puts a visible dent in his already damaged reputation.
Other celebrities are already starting to have second thoughts of Brown’s image. A photo depicting a battered Rihanna shortly after the incident was posted by the celebrity gossip Web site TMZ on Feb. 20.Rapper 50 Cent had previously referenced the incident in an animated series on his Web site as a joke.
“I thought that was something you could use for humor, like any other comedian would utilize current events to put into their actual [presentation], being humorous a little bit,” 50 Cent told MTV News on Wednesday.
But the rapper said the photo completely changed his perception of the event.
“After I saw the photography, that wasn’t funny anymore,” he said. “Not to take any shots at Chris and Rihanna or take sides in any way, [but] it’s really not cool.”
But celebrities have resurfaced from public mishaps before. R. Kelly’s court battles involving an alleged sexual encounter with a minor dragged on for years, but he was still able to maintain decent album sales throughout.
Entertainers have options when it comes to addressing the public about their past mistakes, and some approaches can work miracles when done correctly.
Famed actor Hugh Grant was hit by a huge scandal after his encounter with a Hollywood prostitute in the ‘90s. But because of way he handled the crisis publicly by appearing on every major talk show, he was able to reduce the heat from media sources and the public alike.
Howard Rubinstein, who has handled crises for politicians and entertainers, told CNN that Grant’s approach was very unusual at the time.
“Most stars go into seclusion and don’t talk and get angry and attack the media,” he said.
“He did the reverse. He apologized right away, he went on every talk show possible, he apologized to his girlfriend and the public applauded him.”But Brown’s approach so far isn’t the best one. He quickly canceled his appearance at the NBA All-Star game Feb. 15 and took a full week to publicly respond to the altercation.
In his five-sentence response, which, according to Reuters, was prepared by a public relations firm specializing in crisis management, Brown doesn’t refer to Rihanna by name or specifically identify what happened between the couple.”Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired,” the statement reads. “I am committed, with God’s help, to emerging a better person.”
Howard Bragman, a longtime crisis expert and the author of “Where’s My Fifteen Minutes?” told Rolling Stone magazine Brown needs to accept his guilt an work to apologize to Rihanna and the public.”What Chris Brown needs to do is have some sort of cathartic moment — whether that be anger management counseling or some sort of rehab,” Bragman said. “He has to fess up and own it.”
Bragman said Brown should have a revealing interview with a major figure like Oprah and his apology and remorse “has to be believable.”But after allegedly assaulting a singer with a huge fan base and leaving her with horrific bruises and bite marks, talking to Oprah may not be enough.
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Contact Ben Bourgeois at [email protected]