Usher has publicly responded to backlash over a viral incident during his and Chris Brown's R&B Tour, after the fan he removed from the stage spoke out on social media. At a Birmingham, Alabama show on 28 July, he warned the audience not to come on stage if they didn't want to be there, appearing to reference "pretty privilege" in a pointed remark aimed at the woman involved, while Brown laughed in the background.

The controversy began on 25 July in Nashville, when Usher brought fan Gabrielle Cheyenne on stage but stopped the performance and sent her back to her seat after sensing she was uncomfortable. Cheyenne later said publicly that she had wanted to join Chris Brown, not Usher, and claimed her "pretty privilege" had already got her upgraded to a VIP seat before the show. At the following Birmingham date, Usher's next on-stage fan interaction went smoothly, with a steamier exchange shown on the venue's screens. The tour continues on 1 August in Syracuse, New York.