Chris Brown apologized on Wednesday for his violent outburst behind the scenes at "Good Morning America" on Tuesday, but hip hop mogul Russell Simmons says that the young R&B artist deserves some understanding of his own.
Brown, who had his meltdown following a contentious interview that included pointed questions about Brown's 2009 beating of then-girlfriend Rihanna, is plagued by young fame and the question of how to achieve happiness, Simmons wrote on his site, GlobalGrind.com. For that, he deserves some understanding and space.
"Chris is suffering from the same thing as almost every young star has gone through, including the Disney kids," Simmons writes. "And, having lost control, some of these young artists, sometimes, do an unspeakable thing at a moment of time. And they pay the price. But, as I and my team have said repeatedly on my site GlobalGrind.com, what's not fair is artists paying the price of the sins in their young lives for the rest of their lives. Again, and again, and again. "
Simmons is likely referring to former Disney starlets such as Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan, who have certainly suffered their own trials and tribulations, from Cyrus' bong hits to Lohan's rehab and alleged jewelry theft.
"I'm just saying, give this man a break. I spoke to him last night for a long time and I know how good of a young man he is," Simmons continues. "He's having the same type of struggles that all those other Disney kids have and all the other people who have instant fame... And because of that one regretful incident, no one will give him a break."
There's much more in the essay; Simmons talks about past stars and their struggles with fame, as well as what being an artist entails and requires. To read it all, click over to Global Grind.
Meanwhile, Brown got a bit of somewhat similar advice from another music mogul; "The X-Factor" main man Simon Cowell said that he can be forgiven -- as long as he's sincere. And calm.
"It's very difficult when you don't hear exactly what happened, but I think most people are forgiving if you're sincere about it," Cowell told J-14 Magazine. "But you can't blame people for asking the question. Again, because if you're in the public eye, that's what happens. You can't freak out like that."
For more from Cowell, click over to J-14.