Ever since Rep. Jasmine Crockett hit the stage at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and gave Chris Brown a congressional shoutout in front of a sold-out crowd, the internet has had its wig split down the middle. And now Chris Brown himself is speaking up, thanking Crockett, apologizing for the heat she’s catching, and giving flowers to the people who had her back in the media.
As we previously reported, Crockett linked up with Texas state Rep. Venton Jones and producer RoccStar to present Brown and his tour mate Usher with an official entry in the U.S. Congressional Record, recognizing their careers and their impact on R&B. On stage, Crockett wasn’t holding back the excitement, telling the crowd, “we are experiencing Black joy at the highest level,” and making sure everybody knew she wanted it “documented at the congressional level.” She even got a little slick with it, joking about “a few scammers up in D.C.” before turning back to Brown and calling him “a real one.” Brown hugged her and thanked her right there on the spot.
Critics, including plenty of progressives, came for Crockett hard, bringing up Brown’s past. However, a lot of folks were mad at Crockett for honoring Chris Brown and getting people to the polls while she’s out here looking like a whole political baddie, rocking what some of her heavy haters can’t pull off. Also for Crockett commanding the stage, getting invited to the big platforms political folks wish they could even get a foot in.
Brown clearly caught wind of the conversation, because he took to Instagram to address it directly, and to say thank you. In one post, he wrote, “wanna send a very special thank you @jasmineforus and @johnsonfortexas for this honor! @roccstarmusic love you my brother. This means so much to me. Thank you TEXAS for showing me and @usher so much love and also @theonlyjasonlee thank you for your support when speaking with @donlemonofficial.”
He didn’t stop there. In a follow-up post, Brown got even more personal about the backlash Crockett is now facing on his behalf: “I apologize for any backlash you have to deal with for awarding me. I’m not political but I move off of frequency and energy and I’m so grateful ONCE AGAIN, THANK.”
That shoutout to Don Lemon and Jason Lee wasn’t random. Don Lemon dedicated a whole episode of his show to breaking down whether Crockett got it wrong, bringing on our own Jason Lee, who, on top of everything else he’s got going on, is also the vice mayor of Stockton, California, and knows this political game like the back of his hand, to weigh in on the controversy. It’s that appearance Brown was tipping his hat to when he thanked Jason Lee “for your support when speaking with @donlemonofficial.”
Swipe to hear what Jason Lee Had To Say:
At the end of the day, Crockett’s team and her supporters are framing this the same way plenty of others online are: it was never really about Chris Brown. It was about getting eyes on down-ballot candidates like Venton Jones, an openly gay, HIV-surviving state rep fighting for at-risk LGBTQ folks, and getting people to the polls using a platform they’d actually show up for. Period Crockett!