LOS ANGELES, Oct 27: Chris Brown's behavior has come under scrutiny once again with the release of a new documentary titled Chris Brown: A History of Violence, produced by Investigation Discovery. This documentary delves into numerous allegations against the singer, featuring accounts from several women, including high-profile cases involving Rihanna and Karrueche Tran. Among the allegations, one anonymous woman, referred to as Jane Doe, claims that Brown drugged and raped her aboard Sean “Diddy” Combs’s yacht in 2020.

Brown's legal team has categorically denied Doe’s allegations, labeling all claims presented in the documentary as “malicious and false.” The documentary coincides with the network's “No Excuse for Abuse” campaign, which aims to raise awareness during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It provides an overview of Brown's ascent in the music industry, where he was once heralded as the successor to Michael Jackson, juxtaposed with the fall from grace that ensued following his physical assault on Rihanna in 2009.

The documentary references leaked police photographs that depict Rihanna's severe injuries. According to police reports, she alleged that Brown repeatedly struck her, choked her until she was nearly unconscious, and threatened to kill her. Following the incident, Brown pled guilty to felony assault and received a sentence that included five years of probation and community service.

Following their tumultuous relationship, Brown and Rihanna briefly reconciled, facilitated by Combs, who invited them to his Miami residence to help mend their relationship. However, they ultimately separated twice after that. Domestic violence specialists featured in the documentary explain how exposure to abuse during childhood, a reality shared by both Brown and Rihanna, can perpetuate cycles of violence in adult relationships.

The film continues to outline Brown’s pattern of alleged abuse. Tran, who was in an on-again, off-again relationship with him from 2010 to 2015, was granted a five-year restraining order against Brown. She accused him of physically assaulting her, including claims that he punched her in the stomach, pushed her down a flight of stairs, and threatened her life and the lives of her friends. Additionally, while undergoing anger management treatment, Brown reportedly vandalized his mother’s car and broke a window on the set of Good Morning America. He also had altercations with artists like Drake and Frank Ocean and faced lawsuits from former associates for violent behavior. Just last summer, he was accused of brutally assaulting several men during a concert in Texas.

The documentary highlights the numerous sexual assault allegations against Brown. Freddy Sayegh, a criminal defense and entertainment attorney featured in the film, notes Brown's extensive history of violence spanning nearly 15 years. Despite these serious claims, Brown has managed to maintain a prominent status in the music industry. A year after the assault on Rihanna, BET invited him to perform in a tribute to Michael Jackson. Recently, as he kicked off his "11:11 Tour" in June, Brown made light of efforts to have him blacklisted, continuing to enjoy a large fan base, and ranking as the second-most followed male artist on Instagram.

The documentary includes the testimony of Jane Doe, who recounts the alleged drugging and rape incident in 2020. She stated that after suing Brown in 2022, she received death threats, but her intention was to “shed light on what really happened.” Doe described herself as an aspiring dancer new to Los Angeles who met Brown at Combs's home during a trip to Miami. Initially, she found him friendly but claimed that after he handed her a drink, her memory became hazy, and she felt disoriented. She alleged that Brown led her to a bedroom and raped her despite her protests, later texting her to suggest taking the morning-after pill.

Although Doe initially continued to communicate with Brown post-incident, therapy later helped her recognize it as sexual assault. She filed a $20 million lawsuit in 2022, but the emergence of text messages led her attorneys to conclude she had not been entirely forthcoming, resulting in their withdrawal from her case. Eventually, a judge dismissed the case for lack of prosecution. One of her attorneys, Ariel Mitchell-Kidd, reappears in the documentary, expressing regret for not having established a more trusting relationship with Doe.

In response to Doe’s claims, Brown’s attorneys maintain that they are fabricated, and no comment has been received from Brown's representative. The documentary also features Liziane Gutierrez, who accused Brown of assault in 2016, and revisits his 2019 detainment in Paris over allegations of aggravated rape, which were ultimately dropped.

The documentary uses expert opinions and statistics to contextualize Brown's extensive history of legal troubles while drawing parallels to the delayed accountability faced by figures like Combs and R. Kelly. Sunny Hostin, who hosted the documentary's aftershow, voiced concern that many have seemingly forgotten Brown's violent past, particularly the assault on Rihanna, highlighting the need for continued awareness of domestic violence issues.