Lionel Richie joked about Chris Brown’s legal history during a concert with Earth, Wind & Fire, while comparing their long-running partnership with Brown and Usher’s 2026 stadium tour. The remark drew attention because it referred to Brown’s past criminal cases, although Brown responded publicly in a light-hearted manner rather than escalating the exchange.

Richie said the Commodores and Earth, Wind & Fire had toured together four decades earlier, adding that the difference was that they “didn’t go to jail”. Brown replied to an Instagram clip with laughing emojis and a playful message calling Richie “unk” and “paw paw”. Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault in 2009 after attacking Rihanna, and also pleaded guilty in July over a 2023 London nightclub altercation; sentencing is scheduled in the UK for 26 October.