The View’s Sherri Shepherd Thinks That Chris Brown Deserves A Second Chance

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by Sarah Devlin | 4:11 pm, February 20th, 2012

» 26 comments

Country musician Miranda Lambert has been taking Chris Brown to task for a little while, and held up a sign at a recent concert (during which she was singing a song about a woman killing her abusive partner) that read “Take Notes, Chris Brown.” This led to a discussion of today’s episode of The View about the public’s perception of Brown, especially in light of his recent return to the Grammy Awards that coincided with his brutal beating of Rihanna two years ago. Sherri Shepherd argued that it is time to give Brown a clean slate.

She said:

“People have been talking about Chris Brown like he has a history of beating women, and he doesn’t. This is a boy – he has apologized so many times, he has done what the court ordered him to do. Do we not believe that somebody can rehabilitate themselves [sic], and that they can go on and create a better life. I mean, do we — do we not believe in second chances?”

Joy Behar’s rebuttal was that while Chris Brown might deserve a second chance he certainly shouldn’t be rewarded with Grammys and the opportunity to perform at the show, and while Elisabeth Hasselbeck agreed that there should be a certain separation between artists and their work, she also noted that there should be some accountability when artists commit crimes. Whoopi Goldberg wondered, though, if it was appropriate for Miranda Lambert to be the person to call out Chris Brown so vociferously, since she wasn’t involved in the original incident and “Rihanna has forgiven him.” Was it a publicity stunt, Joy suggested? A genuine statement about violence against women, countered Elisabeth? Sherri seemed exasperated and exclaimed “What more do we want this boy to do?”

Here’s where things get weird. Sherri, who’s made some divisive comments on the subject before, doesn’t think that Chris Brown should be excoriated for his post-Grammy tweets, because there is a long and proud history of other celebrities addressing their “haters.” This makes very little sense as a PR strategy, because arguing that plenty of other celebrities have said idiotic things on Twitter is like saying you shouldn’t be held responsible for a car accident that you caused because other people get into car accidents all the time. Then Whoopi, before wrapping up the discussion, argued emphatically that no one really knows what happened between Rihanna and Brown. But…I thought we had a pretty good idea.

You can watch the clip below via ABC:

Chris Brown, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, The View, Whoopi Goldberg

Anonymous

To me this insane jumping to defense of Chris Brown by both Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd sounds and looks uncomfortably racist.

Very disappointing… especially from Whoopi :(
Anonymous

They have a point though. The kid’s not Ike Turner he got in an altercation with a woman and paid his due, the woman herself forgave him. Does that absolve him? No. But is it cause to ostracize him from society like so many people are trying to do? Also I can tell you from the perspective of a black male when you see this type of scrutiny being placed on him and you have country singers denouncing him when said country singer’s husband was part of a tribute to Glen Campbell it sets off alarms.
http://profiles.google.com/shle896 Shane Lear

True that he hasn’t gotten into another confrontation since Rihanna, but let’s not forget the chair through the window at Good Morning America or his naked Twitter picture or last week when he tweeted all of his distractors to f&*k off because he won a Grammy. Very few people beat up a woman just one time in their lives. If they’re capable of that, they’re going to do it again. He’s never shown any kind of true remorse or humility.

He does indeed have every right to perform and record and win Grammy’s, no question about it. But that doesn’t mean we have to forget about it. And as one guest on The View said today, Chris Brown didn’t “hit” Rihanna. He BEAT her black and blue and drew blood. It’s just a matter of time before he does it again.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1218053960 Laady Di

You all should stop hating and now you wanna take it to Whoopi and Sheri… it’s pathetic.
LET Chris Brown and Rihanna be, they both moved on and are now focused on their music. Chris came out with what he does best which is music and he TOTALLY DESERVE HIS GRAMMY. Why do you all have to look at him as an example of women beater?!?!?! He’s not so please move on. And Shane Lear, I don’t get why you predict Chris beating another woman, like Whoopi said, no one knows the fact and no one has ever seen Chris pictures from the night so save your hate for others.
Anonymous

Might be racist. Definitely enabling.
Anonymous

Apparently YOU never bothered to look, but others certainly have seen the photos:

http://www.tmz.com/2011/02/24/rihanna-photos-brutal-beating-chris-brown-attack-police-attack/
Anonymous

This is one of the most racist clips I have seen. Whoopi and Sherri are sticking up for Chris Brown? What if he had been white would be a much different story.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2BJB2HWESE7CPCUTZIOM6ZUDFM jon

Sherri Shepherd Thinks the earth is flat too. google it.
Anonymous

How is that racist? they make very valid points white, black, green or blue facts are facts. You have some type of issues that need to be addressed by God.
Anonymous

There is a Howard Stern clip from a few years ago on You Tube where he shows how Whoopi always defends celebrities no matter what. Mel Gibson, Roman Polanski, Jesse James and now Chris Brown. Sherri is doing it too.
Anonymous

Issues addressed by God? WTF does that mean? They may have made valid points to someone who is an apologist for woman beaters. But not to me.
Verreauxii

Do you know what Chris Brown did to that girl? He punched her several times, bashed her head against the dashboard, tried to toss her out of a moving car, then chocked her out until she blacked out. Not to mention he had threatened to kill her once they got back to his place. The fact that this ASSHOLE shows no genuine remorse and reticence about that ugly incident should be a big negative towards him. If you or I did what he did we would be in PRISON for several years. This has nothing to do with race….at all. He’s a thug and a bad example for impressionable kids out there.
Verreauxii

We have seen Rihanna’s pics….clown. Remember, it was her who was the punching bag aka VICTIM of that assault. Nice to see you defending a woman beater. Yes…men who punch women have a high probability of doing it again to that same woman or another. It is a mindeset. See: Bobby Brown and Whitney, Ike and Tina etc.
Anonymous

It’s typical they would stick up for and absolve this ass. Blacks will stand behind one of their own regardless of the act committed(think O.J.). Rapist, murderer, cop killer, pedophile, they’re innocent. It’s just racist to charge any black with a crime. If woman beater were any other race, you bet they would talk smack about him.

By Whoopi making a comment about Lambert, she’s really saying that white woman has no right to talk about a black.

Yes, it is racist. What, are you surprised?
Anonymous

Maybe because he IS a woman beater?

I’m sure you’ll see the pictures of Rhianna and STILL make excuses!!
msdaniels

She wouldn’t think that if it was her he was beating on!!!!!!!!!!
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2QAWUIHIDMLFEDA2CJV2QIGY7A Aquarian

It’s typical??? What was typical of Whoppie sticking up for and absolving Jesse James, Roman Polanski and Mel Gibson’s ass???? Here you had a black standing behind a sleuth of white men who made racists rants and posed as Hitler.

By Whoppi making a comment IN SUPPORT of the forementioned above, maybe she could be a self-hating black person in support of racist slurs, epithets, stereotypes of blacks by white men.

Yes, you did overlook that and jumped to conclusion because this time the celebrity behaving badly is black. What, do you have SELECTIVE memory? Maybe Whoopi can give a shout-out to her friend Mel Gibson for you?
http://profile.yahoo.com/X3RXOODIYK7VELGOQQSRJXI5XE Rogue

To all those who forgive Chris Brown… I hope he dates your daughter!
http://twitter.com/kikakiki26 emd26

Please people! I have told my daughter don’t hit, because you can be hit back – we were not in the car, Rihanna admits she started it. She got the worst of the fight, double standard applied, male should not hit female so okay he pled guilty, did everything asked of him and Still people are going after him, He is a very young man, who profession is in the public eye, so his profession should be taken from him and what would you have him do, become a janitor, a clerk? He is talented, his music sells he is paid (rewarded) for his talent. Chris add a speaking tour to your agenda and go around telling young men and women that violence will lead you nowhere. Hold your head up and stay out of trouble.
Diane Griego

The only reason most celebs apologize and complete their forced court rehabilitation is because they need to make sure it doesn’t affect their career. Right now at this time it is still politically incorect to abuse someone but just as same sex marriage wouldn’t have been imagineable 20 to 30 years ago abuse may become acceptable. Society has become more and more acceptable of immorality or right or wrong and which is why everyone forgets what Chris Brown did and excuse him because he saw his mother abused. We r in a downward spiral in regard to social issues and will reap what we sow.
Mayowa Ogunyemi

See, that right there is an example of the disguised racism of some, who see it in vogue to accuse others of racism to validate their own racist views. Is there a racial element to Whoopi’s and Sherri’s stance on this? The most you could say is that it is possible, but that doesn’t explain why Joy feels the same way, and more importantly, as Aquarian points out, Whoopi’s been known to take similar positions in a number of cases, sometimes defending people who have exhibited out-right (anti-Black) racism, like Mel Gibson and his “pack of n*****s statement.

I can’t say for sure that you’re a racist, but there’s no doubt you’ve made a very racist comment, behind which, of course, is some decidedly racist sentiment.
And I am not surprised.

(For the record, I’m with Elisabeth on this. I don’t like Rihanna or Chris Brown musically, but Chris Brown is scum, and he’s done nothing to earn the second chance everyone seems so willing to lavish upon him.)
Anonymous

Women making other women look like idiots.
http://profile.yahoo.com/STPFMR5SOROCKQGJ6NRQPIQQAE 560sel

right. and if white folks beat the hell out of, raped and enslaved black people, no matter how long ago, it means they’re capable of doing it again, right Lear? White people should be banned from speaking about ANYONE acting badly. You jerks lead the planet in that.
john doe

racist? are all you stupid? no you are the ones that are racist.
http://www.facebook.com/loudstreets Roy LoudStreets

LOL, YOU DID NO WITNESS THAT STORY YOU ARE QUOTING!

DON’T BE A FALSE WITNESS!

YOU ARE AS HARSH ON CHRIS AS YOU HAVE WITH A REPEAT OFFENDER!

SO WHAT! YOU SAW THE PICTURE! ISN’T THAT WHY HE HAS A CRIMINAL RECORD? AND DOING HIS TIME?!

OH YOU THINK HIS CAREER SHOULD ALSO END? IS THAT YOUR JUDGEMENT?

YOU HEART IS COLDER THAN THE PERSON YOU ARE ACCUSING!

IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN REHABILITATION, THEN SCRAP THAT INDUSTRY ALL TOGETHER!

“EVERYONE THAT COMMITS A CRIME CAN NOT BE REHABILITATED”? AMERICA! IS THIS TRUE?

LIKE WHOOPI SAID TO THOSE RACIST HATERS LIKE BOTH OF THE ONCE ON THE PANEL SHOULD FIND ANOTHER JOB!
http://twitter.com/RebeccaB70 RebeccaB70

”
abuse may become acceptable.” You’ve got that the wrong way around. It was acceptable (I direct you to Frank Sinatra) and now it’s not.