Jordin Sparks is the latest star to show her support for Chris Brown.
Over the weekend, controversy was sparked when Brown won Favourite Male R&B Artist at the 2022 AMAs but was absent, and Kelly Rowland defended him onstage while accepting the award on his behalf.
READ MORE: Kelly Rowland Tells Audience To ‘Chill Out’ After Chris Brown Booed Following AMAs Win
TMZ caught up with Sparks on Tuesday outside ABC Studios in New York and asked her about the controversy.
“You love asking me about Chris, but we love Chris,” Sparks said. “He should’ve been there.”
On social media, Brown claimed that he had been set to perform a tribute to Michael Jackson with Ciara at the awards show, but the performance was scrapped.
Brown has been the subject of much backlash and criticism over the years for a number of incidents, including violent behaviour and assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.
Asked if people should move on from the artist’s past, Sparks said, “Honestly, I think that shouldn’t even be a conversation anymore. It’s about his talent. They shouldn’t have cancelled the performance. That’s how I feel about it.”
She added, “People deserve to be able to grow, and learn and be able to live their life without things hanging over them. Everybody deserves that. Him especially.”
READ MORE: Kelly Rowland Says Chris Brown ‘Deserves Grace’ After Praising Him At The 2022 AMAs
After telling the booing audience at the AMAs to quiet down and then praising Brown as an “incredible performer,” Rowland spoke to TMZ about the incident.
“I believe that grace is very real, and we all need a dose of it,” she said. “And before we point fingers at anybody, we should realize how grateful we are for every moment that we get, for even our own things that we have. I just think it’s important to remember to be human. We are humans.”
