The Michael Jackson tribute helmed by Chris Brown on Sunday, November 20 2022, American Music Awards was reportedly canceled at the last minute.
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According to sources and a Puck report, it was canceled due to the optics of Brown, who pleaded guilty to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna the night before the 2009 Grammy Awards.
Earlier this week, Brown posted a video and message on Instagram saying that the performance — which apparently included Jackson’s hits “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” “Wanna Be Starting Something” and “Thriller” — had been canceled “for reasons unknown.
” The tribute is timely because a 40th anniversary reissue of Jackson’s biggest album, “Thriller,” is slated for release later this year.
Brown’s caption reads, “U SERIOUS?,” then he added, “WOULDVE been the ama performance but they cancelled me for reasons unknown.
The network was not opposed to Brown performing, according to Puck, but the combined effect of him leading a Jackson tribute was deemed unacceptable — over the objections of show executive producers Jesse Collins and Stephen Hill.
“Live shows change all the time, it’s the nature of this business,” a rep for the show’s producer, Dick Clark Productions, told Puck. Unfortunately, this aspect of the AMAs did not come together because we couldn’t agree on the performance, which was not Chris Brown’s fault.”
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