This is a two sided story.  Brown may be a kind hearted man in Africa but he can still be an abuser.  This is way trying to figure out who is an abuser and who is not.  Is not all ways easy.  Sometimes they can be the sweeties man and yet can abuse a women.

Brown’s senseless violence doesn’t make him evil — if he really does have a "kind" heart, he will certainly seek help.   I have been a victim of abuse, after years of working with abused women and thinking "it could never happen to me — I am too strong" — it did happen to me.   I was abused by someone who seemed to have a kind heart, except when some personal & business issues appeared on the horizon — his heart became less kind and suddenly everything was my fault.   Abuse is black and white — no doubt about it, there is no rationale or reason that makes it right.  When someone acts out violently — particularly on someone who is not as big/strong as they are is quite simply pathetic and unbalanced.  

Oprah, better than almost anybody else, should know that abusers, criminals and psychopaths often hide behind masks for the public.

I was an abused wife.  My husband was considered so gentle and kind that noone believed me when I told them I was abused.  Out in public, he would be sweet, talkative and considerate.  The moment we got home, everything was open season for critisism, and often escalated into full fledged abuse.  I left before our then baby daughter viewed more of the abuse.

Everybody was shocked.  Since I am a strong woman and not afraid to voice my opinions, some friends and family had the gall to ask what I had done to deserve the abuse, if indeed it had happened.  I knew at that point that I need to move away from my family and start a new life.  Twelve years later, my daughter and I are fine, my ex has alienated all around him (his mask was ripped off), and my friends and family are unified in their support of the choices I made.

To Oprah, I would say, you think Brown is lovely?  Let’s look at another Chicago person that was beloved years and years ago, John Wayne Gacy.  He was considered a pillar of the community, donating time for children’s parties, active in local politics.  Yet let those doors close and he was a different animal.

You just can never tell, so it’s best not to discuss the perpetrator in positive terms and to take the opportunity to help the victim and to bring light to a very shameful secret that many women, famous and not famous, deal with all over the world everyday.  I’m very disappointed, but not altogether surprised that Oprah would alienate a huge portion of the public that she has built her empire around.  I’m cancelling my magazine subscription today.

I did not see the show, but if it went as reported above, it doesn’t sound like Oprah and Gayle were excusing anything he allegedly did to Rihanna.  As reported, it sounds like they were merely relaying their previous experience with him.  If this is the case, no apology is warranted.  According to the report every member of the panel agreed he needs to seek counseling.

Oprah is a very smart woman and a victim of abuse herself.  She would never excuse incidents of abuse, imo.

From what I read above it doesnt seem that Gayle or Oprah were saying he didnt do it, they were just saying when they met him, that is how he seemed.

I dont care what Rhinna did to Chris, she did not deserve to be beat in such a way.  For him to say that he didnt cause all that, who else did?  Did she do it to herself?  Be a bigger man and walk away…it takes a very small man to beat on a women, who cares if she hit you first, who cares if she kicked you in the balls, you get up and walk away. 

I know cops who have been abused by women drunks and they have never hit a woman.  They wanted to and would have been justified in using force to control this one lady but chose not to.  They took the physical and verbal abuse and then got the chance to hand cuff the lady & did it.  It takes a bigger man to do that then it does to hit back.

I watched the show that day and Oprah and Gayle both were just relaying the experience they had with him.  They were not condoning anything that Chris Brown might have done.  Its a shame when people don’t take the time to really listen to what’s being said or voice opinions based on what they heard from someone else.  I’m sure you can find a better reason to cancell a subscription.

This is ridiculous. Chris Brown has not been convicted of abuse against Rhianna. She has levied that charge against him. Photos of injuries or not, we do not know how the incident unfolded and how she got the bruises. Would it had been more apropos for Oprah and Gayle to rail against Chris Brown and chastise him for “abusing a female” when there is no proof he did? They simply spoke to their observations of him as a nice guy. We need to get away from this notion that if a woman cries abuse or rape that we immediately jump to her defense without knowing the circumstances behind her claims. It shouldn’t be about choosing sides, but the reality is we do this a lot. And sometimes the guy is in the right and sometimes they aren’t. But the assumption far too often is that the woman is always right when she claims abuse. I don’t see where Oprah should be faulted and to be honest she is being neutral by not blaming one or the other given we don’t know the facts of the case. Until we do, this is nothing more than catty in my eyes.