GettyJustin Bieber has been slammed for a controversial Instagram post about Chris Brown.
The Love Yourself singer took to social media to defend Brown following the massive backlash he faced upon commenting on a photo of Rihanna calling her a ‘queen’.
Telling his 111 million followers they will regret ‘overlooking’ Brown’s talent because of ‘a mistake’ he made, Bieber said people need to ‘reevaluate’ their judgement of the singer.
GettyPosting a picture titled, ‘the legendary equation’, Bieber posted two photos of Michael Jackson and Tupac side by side with a ‘+’ symbol between the two. The final equation read: ‘Michael Jackson + Tupac = Chris Brown’.
Alongside the equation, the Sorry singer wrote:
everyone wants to wait til people die To give them the credit they deserve. I’m calling it now when CB passes away after a long full life, you will miss what you had in front of you the whole time… trust me watch you will see. the people who have over looked this mans talent because of a mistake he made.. you need to reevaluate! Love you @chrisbrownofficial
Fans were quick to point out that the ‘mistake’ Bieber mentions is most likely a reference to Brown’s arrest and ultimate ‘guilty’ plea for assaulting his then girlfriend, Rihanna, in 2009.
Brown was arrested and charged with felony assault and making criminal threats in 2009. He later pleaded guilty to a felony and accepted a plea deal, which included five years probation and domestic violence counseling.
Immediately, fans called Bieber out for his ‘disgusting’ post, slamming him for referring to domestic violence as simply a ‘mistake’ and saying such a high profile celebrity should do better.
Others said that they would no longer support the singer – despite being a fan of his for the past 10 years – and said they were unfollowing him for his words which made one person ‘sick to my stomach’.
THIS is what Chris Brown did to Rihanna. don’t EVER ever call it a mistake. abusing women is not a fuck!ng “mistake”. Women die and Justin Bieber, who should inspire people, is out there saying that we have to reevaluate because it’s a mistake? disgusting. and stop justifying him pic.twitter.com/K3viVjC3Wm
— eli (@gomezsglowing) May 4, 2019
Justin Bieber defending Chris Brown by comparing him to Michael Jackson (?) and tons of celebrities supporting this in the comments (J Balvin, Marshmello, etc).
Chris Brown has beat multiple women and I do not support him. I'm sad these celebrities are defending him. pic.twitter.com/p6SauY2HRM
— Christopher Dean 👻🏳️🌈 (@christopher_aia) May 4, 2019
Justin Bieber decided to declare his love for Chris Brown on Instagram and referred to his incident with Rihanna as 'a mistake he made' so I would like to bring everyone's attention to the police report of the night this disgusting animal assaulted Rihanna. pic.twitter.com/QCrnkZsGfa
— Victoria Owsnett (@VictoriaOwsnett) May 4, 2019
Bieber’s post came shortly after Brown commented on a picture of Rihanna modelling her upcoming Savage X Fenty releases, calling her a ‘queen’ and asking her to release new music.
The 29-year-old wrote:
BOUGHT TO BREAK DA INTERNET! KEEP RISING QUEEN. MUSIC SOON PLEASE.
Fans of Rihanna were quick to question Brown’s motives, asking why he was even on the singer’s page and questioning whether he remembers what he ‘did to her back in 2009’.
While one person slammed him for being a ‘woman hater’, others simply told him to ‘fuck off’ and told him to never comment on Rihanna’s pictures again.
Bieber is yet to respond to the criticism, although Brown did comment on his post thanking him for believing in him.
Brown too is yet to respond to the comments.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence contact the National Domestic Violence Helpline (run in partnership with Women’s Aid and Refuge) on 0808 2000 247.
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).