Lionel Richie criticised Usher and Chris Brown’s joint North American tour during a concert with Earth, Wind & Fire, suggesting that comparable co-headline shows had existed decades earlier without performers going to prison. He then quickly softened the remark, calling the pair “fine Christian men” and referring more generally to social media and online allegations; the comment has drawn attention because of Brown’s well-documented legal history.

Brown was convicted of assaulting Rihanna in 2009 and received probation, community labour and a prison sentence, serving 108 days in custody in 2014. More recently, he pleaded guilty to affray over a London nightclub incident and was released on conditional bail after lodging £5 million security, while other allegations against him have produced differing legal outcomes; Usher has separately made headlines for sensual audience-participation routines on the tour.