Lionel Richie is taking aim at Chris Brown and Usher’s massive stadium tour, poking fun at both its originality and the legal troubles of one of its stars. During a recent stop on his Sing a Song All Night Long tour with Earth, Wind & Fire, the 77-year-old legend took a moment to address the younger R&B headliners.
“Usher and Chris Brown… See, they try to do something new,” Richie told the crowd, comparing their pairing to his own days touring with The Commodores and Earth, Wind & Fire. He then delivered the punchline that quickly went viral: “The Commodores with Earth, Wind & Fire, we were doing that back 40 years ago! Only difference is, between then and now, we didn’t go to jail!”
The remark appeared to be a direct reference to Chris Brown’s legal history, which includes a 2009 felony assault conviction for attacking his then-girlfriend Rihanna and a July 2026 guilty plea to affray for a nightclub assault in London. The audience gave a mixed reaction, with Richie offering a smile and a half-hearted apology before moving on.
The joke has sparked debate on social media, with some defending Richie’s right to call out a younger generation and others accusing him of “punching down”. Usher has previously defended the tour, telling the Associated Press that Brown is his brother, and that the tour is about celebrating R&B, not its controversies.
