Chris Brown Reacts to Texas Politicians' Apology for On-Stage Honor

R&B singer Chris Brown publicly denounced Texas state Rep. Venton Jones after Jones apologized for participating in a ceremony that honored Brown during a concert at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The apology followed backlash over the recognition, which was also attended by Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

Brown, who was performing as part of his tour with Usher, took to Instagram to express his frustration. He stated that the politicians approached him for the recognition, not the other way around, and that his Dallas shows were already sold out. "I ain't ask to be honored because I knew some s*** like this would happen," Brown wrote, accusing Jones of seeking to appease voters. He added, "How about y'all leave me the f*** alone and let me focus on the fans that spent their money to actually see and support me."

Brown indicated he no longer wished for the recognition, telling Jones, "Y'all keep that s***."

The controversy stemmed from Crockett and Jones appearing on stage during Brown and Usher's performance. Crockett, presenting congressional recognition, declared they were experiencing "black joy at the highest level" and wanted to "document that at the congressional level." Jones participated in state-level recognition.

However, the honor quickly drew criticism due to Brown's history of legal issues, particularly his 2009 felony assault conviction involving Rihanna. The singer has faced other legal controversies in the years since.

Jones, who is seeking reelection, addressed the backlash on journalist Don Lemon's show. "I want to offer an apology," Jones stated. "I think this is a very important conversation around domestic violence and I want to offer my apology to black women, to women and to anyone who has experienced domestic violence and really express that it was not my intention to stoke the traumas that go into that, as well as the background of this situation."

Jones also explained that he and Crockett were at the concert partly to mobilize voters ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. "We were brought in to help and talk to and mobilize voters who need to be engaged right now in this very important election that we have going on in November," he said. "That was the work we were engaged in, and so little was seen in that clip."