Chris Brown has said that the American Music Awards (AMA) cut his tribute to Michael Jackson for unknown reasons. He broke the news on November 19, 2022, claiming that he had a big tribute/performance planned for the AMAs, but they suddenly canceled it and didn’t explain why.
The 33-year-old singer and songwriter paired the statement with a video that showed a clip of what the performance would’ve been. The footage showed what seemed to be a rehearsal of the performance.
It was a carefully choreographed piece that saw Brown dancing to some classic Jackson hits with some signature Jackson dance moves. Brown and his crew danced to Jackson’s hits like Thriller and Beat It.
Brown shared the video with a caption that read, “U SERIOUS?” He later added a comment to clarify what the video was.
He wrote, “WOULDVE been the ama performance but they cancelled me for reasons unknown.”
So far, the AMA has not commented on Brown’s claims.
Fans reacted to Chris Brown’s Michael Jackson tribute cancellation
Brown shared the news and the video with his 124 million followers on Instagram. It quickly racked up tens of thousands of comments and likes.
Many of Brown’s followers reacted positively to his rehearsal and the quality of his would’ve-been performance.
They even asked him to share the performance via YouTube or another platform.
The post also drew comments from some of the fellow dancers rehearsing with Brown in the video. One commenter, professional dancer Taylor Terry, mentioned being present at the rehearsals and seeing how excited Brown was.
She said the rehearsals were so inspiring and exciting that they gave her chills most of the time. She also indicated that the actual performance would’ve been even better than the one seen in the video.
Most of the commenters seemed to be on Brown’s side and expressed confusion as to why it was canceled when they thought it was good.
It remains to be seen if Brown will take the advice of some commenters and find a different outlet or medium to showcase the performance.
Who is performing at the AMAs?
The AMAs are shaping up to be a big event. The awards show will take place on November 20, 2022, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, and will be hosted by Wayne Brady.
While Brown is reportedly off the list of performers, the show still has an impressive lineup for the night. Charlie Puth, Beba Rexha, Carrie Underwood, Ari Lennox, Stevie Wonder, and P!nk are just a handful of the musicians slated to perform.
Meanwhile, two other musicians are set to receive tributes from the AMA performers. The show will feature a performance from P!nk in honor of Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, who passed away on August 8, 2022.
Additionally, Wonder, Puth, and Lennox will be teaming up to perform a tribute to Lionel Ritchie, who is set to receive the prestigious Icon Award at the show.
This year’s AMAs are particularly special because it is the show’s 50th anniversary. This significant milestone for the show is part of the reason why so many musicians are set to perform for the night.