Chris Brown and Usher's co-headlining North American tour has drawn fresh criticism after video emerged of Brown simulating a graphic sex act with an audience member during a show in Toronto. The clip, shared on social media, shows a woman bent over while Brown thrusts into her, with the crowd cheering.
Ongoing Controversy
The tour, which began at the end of June, has been marked by explicit content, including an audience interaction segment where a woman is brought on stage to simulate a sexual act. Earlier in the tour, Usher kicked a woman off stage in Nashville for not engaging with the sexual elements.
Brown's legal troubles have also cast a shadow over the performances. He pleaded guilty to affray last month following an alleged bottle attack in Mayfair in 2023 and could face up to three years in prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 26, with bail conditions allowing him to leave the UK as long as he returns the day before. He was arrested in 2025 on his return to the UK for a tour and held for almost a week before being released on a £5 million security fee.
Fan and Celebrity Criticism
The Toronto incident prompted backlash on X, with users calling the displays 'unnecessary' and 'gratuitous.' One user wrote: 'Concerts are supposed to be about the music and performance, not for grown men to turn the stage into their bedroom. This is completely inappropriate and unnecessary.' Another said: 'Genuinely scared of anyone who willingly goes to this concert.'
Lionel Richie, currently on his own tour with Earth, Wind & Fire, also weighed in during a concert, saying: 'Usher and Chris Brown….see they try to do something new. The Commodores with Earth, Wind & Fire, we were doing that back 40 years ago. Only difference is between then and now we didn't go to jail.'
The tour is set to continue until December.
