Not a great start to December for Chris Brown. The R&B singer was hit with a double whammy on Tuesday, Dec. 1: First, tour promoters canceled his Australia and New Zealand tour dates, and then he was abruptly dropped as a guest on The Daily Show.
Both pieces of bad news are reportedly linked to his much-publicized assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna back in 2009.
According to The Daily Beast, multiple Daily Show staffers voiced their concern over having Brown, 26, on the late-night comedy show and expressed their discomfort to host Trevor Noah.
Noah, 31 — who himself has witnessed abuse (his ex-stepfather violently abused his mother, Patricia, even once shooting her in the face, she revealed to the Daily Mail) — was allegedly hoping to use Brown’s appearance as a way to discuss domestic abuse issues, sources told The Daily Beast.
Ultimately, however, the show didn’t go forward with plans and brought on Nick Cannon at the last minute instead.
Earlier in the day, Billboard reported that the Royalty singer’s upcoming Australia and New Zealand concerts had been canceled after the Australian government’s earlier misgivings about the troubled star.
Fans who already have tickets to the early December shows will receive full refunds.