Dear Good Morning America,
As you know, Chris Brown was a guest on your show yesterday, and after being asked a pretty obvious and entirely reasonable question about the on-going legal situation surrounding his violent beating of Rihanna, he not only provided a disgustingly unapologetic answer (“It’s not really a big deal to me now”) but proceeded to trash his dressing room before ripping his shirt off and storming out of the studios. I mean, what a FUCKING MONSTER, right? Who does that? Who does that anyway, much less who does that when they have a widespread public reputation for unwarranted violent outbursts? Yikes. I’m sure questions about his attack on Rihanna make Chris Brown uncomfortable, but you know what else makes people uncomfortable? GETTING PUNCHED REPEATEDLY IN THE FACE IN A RENTED (lol) LAMBORGHINI! When everything is said and done, Chris Brown still seems to be the one getting off easy, so maybe he should just answer the fucking questions with a modicum of respect for the seriousness of the situation and chilllllllll.
But so here is why I am writing this letter to you, Good Morning America: WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM? Not only are you not pressing charges against Chris Brown, but now you are asking him to return to the show? What kind of pandering, pro-violence, egomania-enabling, fucked up world without consequences (for a chosen few) do you live in*, you assholes?
I’m sure that managing a daily morning talk show is difficult. So much politics, right? You’ve got to do some work to massage the big egos of Hollywood so that they keep coming back and answering your questions about favorite limousines to ride in and who has a crush on whom! Sure. I get that. But guess what: THAT’S NOT WHAT IS GOING ON HERE. We are talking about a convicted domestic abuser continuing a pattern of ACTUAL FUCKING VIOLENCE, and not only do you pretend like this is not some kind of problem by refusing to file a police report, but you indulge and encourage it by publicly stating (PUBLICLY STATING) that everyone on the show “wishes him the absolute best.” EVERYONE ON THE SHOW WISHES HIM THE ABSOLUTE BEST? A) WHY? B) FUCK YOU. I’m not expecting any staffers who might disagree with this statement into which they have been unceremoniously lumped to actually quit their jobs in protest, but they should at least SERIOUSLY CONSIDER IT.
Yuck.
The nature of celebrity culture is such that it only takes a minor stumble for the public to turn on their stars, but it takes a similarly minor act of contrition to enter one’s redemption phase. This cycle is played out time and again, and it’s now ingrained and immutable. Good Morning America certainly isn’t responsible for this, although I’m sure you guys have a role to play in all three acts of any career. But this was not a minor stumble. This was a well-documented, successfully prosecuted, and ADMITTED attack against a woman (not that the woman part really matters, if Chris Brown beat the shit out of a dude in a rented [lol] Lamborghini and then RAN OFF INTO THE NIGHT, LEAVING THEM FOR DEAD he would still be a horrific piece of shit and face legal consequences), for which this asshole has never even actually APOLOGIZED. The only thing he has ever regretted was getting caught. Well, getting caught and apparently having to answer “annoying” questions about it. And now you guys, having witnessed this violence first hand, are throwing your not-inconsequential weight behind defending and appeasing an ACTUAL CRIMINAL. Who committed brand new crimes IN YOUR HOME. Think about what kind of message that sends to people. Not just young people, either. Think about the message that sends all people. It is a really REALLY awful message!
Fuck you, Good Morning America. I wish you the absolute worst.
Gabe.
