After the American Music Awards reportedly canceled his performance at the last minute, the singer Chris Brown uploaded footage of his dance rehearsal for his tribute to Michael Jackson. On November 19, Brown posted the footage to Instagram. Brown and other performers are seen dancing to songs like “Beat It” and “Thriller” by Jackson. Additionally, the group dances to “Billie Jean” and “Wanna Be Starting Something.” The occasion of the tribute was Jackson’s “Thriller” albums’ 40th anniversary.
Chris Brown was suppose to do Michael Jackson tribute for the 40th anniversary of Thriller (the album) at the #AMAs this Sunday.
However, the AMA’s canceled it without telling him their reason … here is footage of him rehearsing
— RNB RADAR (@RNB_RADAR) November 19, 2022
It is speculated that the controversy surrounding the 2019 documentary ‘Leaving Neverland‘ could be the reason for the cancellation, although no explanation was provided. In the HBO documentary, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, two men who worked with Jackson as children, claimed that the singer abused them. However, Safechuck claim that he was molested in the train station at Neverland two years prior to its construction was one of several contradictions in the film that the director Dan Reed later admitted.
Chris Brown has paid tribute to his idol in the past, most notably during his performance at the 2010 BET Awards. ABC and the American Music Awards have both declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the tribute’s sudden cancellation. – Steve Sijenyi
