Chris Brown Domestic Violence Doc Aims to “Normalize Surviving”

Investigation Discovery documentary Chris Brown: A History of Violence recalls the rap star going overnight from teen sensation to suspected serial abuser after assaulting Rihanna in 2009.

Despite pleading guilty to one count of felony assault over the attack on Rihanna, Brown has still been celebrated throughout his career, with the doc arguing that the singer has mostly gotten a free pass from the music industry and his fanbase even as accusations of physical and sexual assault and legal troubles persist.

Now, with the doc set to premiere on Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET, ID president Jason Salarnis describes the true-crime network’s piece as being about a troubled pop star and how his legacy of alleged threats and violence shown towards women offers key red flags to viewers, so they can recognize domestic abuse in their own lives.

“This documentary acts as a cautionary tale for our audience to the extent it exemplifies the patterns and cycles of abuse that happen among men and women who are perpetuators of domestic violence. Being able to shine a light on that is really valuable for our viewers,” Sarlanis told The Hollywood Reporter about his network reaching viewers who need help, or may not even know they’re in an abusive relationship.

Sarlanis cites ID’s third annual No Excuse for Abuse campaign that coincides with the Chris Brown doc for offering tools and resources to educate viewers, identify abuse and help stop domestic violence. The TV network, also behind this year’s bombshell Quiet on Set documentary, explores in the doc the pop idol’s years of alleged offstage aggression, including intimate-partner violence, assault charges and sexual assault allegations. 

That narrative of alleged abuse and assault follows the February 2009 incident where Brown brutally assaulted then-girlfriend Rihanna and accepted a plea deal that included five years’ probation and domestic violence counseling.

Sarlanis argues that Brown’s career trajectory since 2009 is an example of a Hollywood industry that “time and time again enables wrongdoers.” But while Brown’s celebrity and wealth has helped shield him from accountability, the ID boss says his 2009 incident with Rihanna can be mirrored in domestic violence cases everywhere.

“When you look specifically at the story of Chris Brown and Rihanna and the tragic events that occurred in 2009, events like those are happening in households across the country with people who have far less name recognition and this allows us to tell those stories on a bigger stage,” he says of the doc from Ample Entertainment. “It might not be the same example in homes across the country, but it’s the same tactics being used by abusers, and so recognizing those tactics, however they materialize, is critical to empowering our viewers.”

The ID doc features an extended interview with Jane Doe, an accuser who in December 2020, was invited to a party held by fellow rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs on Star Island, where she alleged Brown raped her in a bedroom on a yacht. The Chris Brown doc follows the recent arrest and criminal charges brought against Diddy, the music mogul now in jail and awaiting a trail on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, as he also becomes the subject of an upcoming ID docuseries that is set for a 2025 release.

Viewers will see Jane Doe navigating a range of emotions, including accusing or blaming herself during an exchange of texts and FaceTime sessions with Brown well after the alleged sexual assault, which prompted an investigation by Miami Police that was later dropped for a lack of evidence.

“Our Jane Doe story is so reflective of nearly half of all incidence of abuse going unreported in this country. And I believe her story will resonate, sadly, with far too many of her viewers,” Sarlanis said, as what motivated the ID doc on Brown. “We need to normalize surviving. One in four women are impacted by this. That number is staggering and to have any shame associated with being a survivor will perpetuate the very cycles that allow that number one-in-four to continue. Ultimately, our goal has to be to get that ratio lower,” Sarlanis insisted.

When the ID doc producers reached out to Brown and his representatives, an attorney for the singer said the allegations in the program were “malicious and false.”

Chris Brown: A History of Violence and the No Excuse for Abuse campaign together target a giant audience, as the doc indicates one in four women have experienced sexual violence, physical violence and even stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. And women not equipped to fully recognize or admit in their own minds threat of domestic violence, or even already experiencing physical or emotional violence, plays to the hand of their abusers.

Following the premiere of Chris Brown: A History of Violence, The View co-host Sunny Hostin will lead a discussion with experts and advocates on intimate partner violence for ID’s audience.