Chris Brown performs during his Breezy Bowl XX Tour at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, August 30, 2025.Prince Williams/WireImage/Getty
“Your courage is contagious.”
In May 2026, while staring directly into the eyes of three of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein—during a congressional hearing on the late financier’s sprawling web of rape, trafficking, and abuse—that’s what Rep. Jasmine Crockett said.
“I’ve been smiling probably more than I’m supposed to as I’ve sat here because y’all bring me so much joy. And let me tell you why,” she added. “The reason is this: because in spite of this incompetent government, y’all do not back down.”
Four months later, Crockett would take to the mic to express her joy once again, not at a congressional hearing but at the Texas AT&T Stadium, to bestow honors on a man who, in 2009,chokedhis then-girlfriendto the point that she “began to lose consciousness.”
On Sunday, the Texas Democratic representative joined Chris Brown onstage to sing his praises while awarding him recognition in the congressional record during the Texas stop of his joint tour with Usher.
“We’re experiencing Black joy to the highest degree,” crowed Crockett, flanked by Rep. Venton Jones.
For those not in the know, Chris Brown is a decorated R&B singer who’s been performing since he was a teen. Known for his smash songs, “Run It,” “Loyal,” and “Forever,” he’s been a staple of the genre for decades.
Nowadays, Brown is known less for his radio hits and more for the hits he allegedly bestowed ondozensof individuals, dating all the way back to 2009 when he brutally assaulted Rihanna, then his girlfriend. But his legal problems didn’t stop there. Over the pastfifteenyears, Brown has racked up so many convictions and allegations of assault and drug use that there’s an entire Wikipediapagededicated to his legal issues.
Most notably, Brown has a long track record of alleged violence against women specifically. In 2009, hepleadedguilty to assault against Rihanna, whom he repeatedly struck, bit, and choked during an argument. In 2017, his then-girlfriend, Karreuche Tran wasgranteda restraining order against him after he threatened to “beat the s— out of” her in text messages. She alsoaccusedhim of punching her in the stomach twice and pushing her down the stairs, which Brown hasdenied.
In 2018, a woman sued Brown for sexual assault in a case that settled out of court in 2020. In 2024,IDdroppedthe documentaryChris Brown: A History of Violence,in which several alleged victims of the singer came forward, including a woman who said Brown raped her in 2020 on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ yacht.
Brown’s penchant for violence has followed him throughout his entire career, but has somehow done absolutely nothing to stop dogged public support for the singer,especiallyamong Black women.
Actress Keke PalmerattendedBrown’s “Breezy Bowl” in 2025 despiteinterviewingTran about Brown’s alleged assault against her in 2014. Throughout the 2020s, stars likeLizzo,Ciara, andKelly Rowlandhave all given Brown his flowers. He’s collaborated with the likes ofNormani,Chloe Bailey, andCassie, who’stestifiedthat Diddy sexually abused and exploited her.
But what separates Crockett from those figures is her status as a politician and her past use of her position to support victims of sexual violence. Throughout her career, Crockett rarely, if ever, shied away from calling out the Republican Party’sracismandmisogyny. She’s steadfastly called out the Department of Justice’sfailureto release the Epstein files anddone the samewith Trump for his sexualmisconductduring his second presidency.
