Chris Brown Booed At The AMAs, Kelly Rowland Tells Audience To ‘Chill Out’

When Chris Brown won favorite male R&B artist at the Sunday night American Music Awards, there was some very audible booing from the crowd.

Since Brown was a no-show, Destiny’s Child alum Kelly Rowland accepted the award on his behalf —and she had to quiet folks down before she spoke.

“Excuse me. Chill out,” Rowland said to the booers. “I want to tell Chris thank you so much for making great R&B music and I want to tell him thank you for being an incredible performer. I’ll take this award and bring it to you.”

The singer added, “I love you. Congratulations.”

Those loud members of the crowd presumably objected to Brown winning the award despite his history of violence against women and his many legal troubles over the years.

In 2009, Brown physically abused Rihanna and she was hospitalized for the serious injuries he caused her. Another woman alleged in 2016 that the R&B singer stole her cell phone and beat her.

Three years later in 2019, a third woman accused Brown of rape.

Brown was also arrested for felony assault in 2013 and named in a 2015 misdemeanor battery case. In 2013, he reportedly punched and threatened to shoot “Ivy” singer Frank Ocean after a disagreement about a parking space.

With context, Rowland’s “chill out” to the booers seems like a more controversial statement than the booing itself.

In a Nov. 19 Instagram post, Brown shared a video of him rehearsing a Michael Jackson tribute that was supposedly meant for the AMAs. He claimed in the comments section, “WOULD’VE been the AMA performance, but they canceled me for reasons unknown.”

“U SERIOUS? 🤦‍♂️,” Brown captioned the clip.

Twitter seemed divided on Brown’s AMA win and his allegedly canceled performance. “Kelly Rowland defending Chris Brown, an abuser and discriminatory asshat against dark-skinned black women. Embarrassing for her,” one user wrote.

Others rushed to Brown’s defense. “Whether you want to accept it or not, nothing can deny the facts. Chris Brown is a legend and his talent and stats prove that,” a fan tweeted on Monday.

The award show never confirmed that Brown was set to perform.

The AMAs are now available to stream on Hulu.