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Entertainment March 22, 2017
News that controversial hip-hop star and domestic abuser Chris Brown is to make a guest appearance on sitcom “Black-ish” has not gone down well on social media.
Entertainment Weekly broke the news, Brown will play a rap star named Rich Youngsta in the Wednesday Mar. 29 episode of the ABC comedy. But the real question is why?
Not only does Brown have a loooong history of violence against women, he even has a history of violence toward ABC. In a previous ABC appearance, a 2011 visit to “Good Morning America,” Brown trashed his dressing room and broke a window after host Robin Roberts repeatedly asked him about his guilty plea to felony assault after his beating of ex-girlfriend Rihanna.
Naturally, people aren’t excited that a show like “Blackish”, which has been lauded for being progressive, would further the celebrity of someone like Brown. In fact it seems like another instance in which male celebrities can basically get away with anything and still keep their day jobs.
We reached out to ABC Television to ask why this is even a thing — so far we’ve heard nothing back.
But there are no shortage of comments on social media, most of them angry-ish about him being cast on “Black-ish.” (See what we did there).
@ConstanceWu Chris Brown’s shooting a guest spot on Blackish. @ABCNetwork should be called out! Known abuser of women on family show!!
— ¡Yo Soy Liz! (@yosoyliz) January 26, 2017
Chris Brown guest starring on #blackish?
Why?
But why?
How about “no”?— Nicole (@nicawynn) March 22, 2017
@amedawg18 @black_ishABC @BlackishWriters @MichaelAusiello @chrisbrown I’m just going to skip the rest of the series. #Blackish pic.twitter.com/7eCocnDGFh
— Jenn (@JennaMichelle29) March 22, 2017
@EW @chrisbrown @black_ishABC A man who beats women guest starring ! WTF I guess it’s ok to the producers and actors on the show!
— @kaneobucks (@kaneobucks) March 22, 2017
@EW @chrisbrown @black_ishABC Thanks for devoting an episode to discussing violence against women! That is what you’re doing, right?
— Christine E. Taylor (@LolaHeatherton) March 22, 2017
Blackish is having Chris Brown in an episode pic.twitter.com/YmBlXyttq9
— tazzy ? (@daudtasneem) March 22, 2017
@EW @black_ishABC this is such a bad idea. Why are you giving that mysognist a platform?
— ??? (@yasholojem) March 22, 2017
@EW @BlackishWriters @black_ishABC this sucks bc I love this show but chris has showed 0 remorse or growth for what he did past or present
— Star (@underthestars88) March 22, 2017
eewwwwwwwww chris brown on blackish? no fucking thank you
— shelley (@safelyacross) March 22, 2017
Surprisingly, it is not the first time a casting controversy of this sort has hit “Black-ish.”
Negative comments greeted the casting of Anthony Anderson when the show first began. Anderson had been accused of sexually assaulting a 25-year-old woman in her trailer on the set of the movie “Hustle and Flow” back in 2004. The charges were later dismissed by a judge, but the allegation has nevertheless been brought back up repeatedly in social media comments.
Not a great look for a so-called progressive show.