Does Lionel Richie have beef with Chris Brown? The American Idol judge shocked concertgoers by shading Chris Brown’s criminal past out of the blue. Keep reading to find out what happened and how Chris Brown reacted.
Lionel Richie Shocks Crowd By Shading Chris Brown’s Criminal Past
Lionel Richie has spent the last eight years mentoring aspiring singers on American Idol. But that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten about his own career. His decades-long career began in 1968 when he joined The Commodores. He penned the song “Three Times a Lady,” which became a huge hit in the late 1970s. He left the group in 1982 to launch a solo career.
He’s co-headlining a summer tour with Earth, Wind & Fire. Lionel Richie was forced to leave in the middle of a show in June after feeling dizzy. He quickly recovered and returned to the tour. Chris Brown and Usher are also on a joint tour this summer. The R&B tour has sold out most of its shows, despite fans accusing Usher of using a stunt double.
Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire played in Phoenix, Arizona, on August 11. The crowd was shocked when the “All Night Long” singer dissed Chris Brown and Usher for no apparent reason.
“Usher and Chris Brown, see, they trying 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,” Lionel Richie said to the crowd between songs.
Chris Brown famously assaulted then-girlfriend Rihanna after the Grammys in 2009. Photos of her bruised and battered face were leaked online. He pleaded guilty to felony assault and received probation. However, he was arrested again in 2013 after an altercation in a hotel in Washington, D.C. He eventually pleaded guilty and since he was still on probation from the previous incident, he received jail time.
Chris Brown spent 131 days in jail. He faced several other accusations since his release, but his latest criminal charges came in 2025 after an incident in London. He pleaded guilty to reduced charges and is awaiting sentencing. Despite his criminal past, he’s one of the most popular R&B artists to this day.
Chris Brown Responds To Diss
No one knows what prompted Lionel Richie to shade Chris Brown and Usher during a concert. However, he quickly backtracked and called them both “fine Christian men.” But the video had already gone viral. Phoenix radio station Sunny 104.3 shared footage of Lionel Richie’s remarks.
Chris Brown dropped a comment in response to the diss. “damn unk. We love ya paw paw,” he wrote alongside a few crying-laughing emojis.
Whatever beef there was between Lionel Richie and Chris Brown was squashed. Share your reaction to the situation in the comments.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger