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Rihanna Wants To Help Young Girls, Recalls Father Beating Mother

Posted Sat Nov 7, 2009 10:16am PST by Billy Johnson, Jr. in Hip-Hop Media Training

Rihanna confirmed the police report that ex-boyfriend Chris Brown put her in a choke hold and bit her during his February 8 attack, the singer revealed in an interview with Diane Sawyer Friday on ABC's "20/20."

When Diane read the excerpts of the report and asked Rihanna if the occurrences took place, she nodded her head up and down.

Chris was charged with felony assault and sentenced to five years probation, community labor, to take a course on domestic violence, and stay away from Rihanna.

Rihanna said she was embarrassed that the ordeal was chronicled for the world to see but believed something positive has emerged.

"I'm glad it happened to me," Rihanna said in a shocking admission. "Because I can help young girls. I will say to any girl going through domestic violence, ‘Come out of this. Look at it third person for what is really is.'"

Seeing the photo of her bloody and swollen face evokes a range of emotions for the 21-year-old "Umbrella" singer. "I feel humiliated, I get angry all over again," Rihanna said. "Every time I see it, the whole thing plays back in my head, so I don't like to see it."

Some have speculated that Rihanna may have provoked the attack, an accusation she vehemently denied.

"It's ignorance because even if I hit him first does that make it okay for him to do that to me?" Rihanna asked? "They kinda give him an excuse for what he did."

Rihanna added that she did not hit him and described the preceding exchange as a verbal argument.

One of the most troubling aspects of the relationship with Chris is that it mirrored domestic abuse Rihanna witnessed as a child.

Rihanna said her father frequently beat her mother, once breaking her nose. "I don't want to say normal, but it wasn't a surprise when it happened," Rihanna said about her father's attacks on her mother. "At night I would not want to sleep because I was thinking about what would happen."

Rihanna vowed not to follow in her mother's footsteps. "I always said, ‘I'm never gonna date somebody like my dad. I always said that.'"

She is aware that Chris saw his mother being abused by his stepfather. "He forgot the pain that he witnessed with his mom," Rihanna said. She described Chris as a child who experienced fame at a young age and lived a life without limits. "You're a kid and the word No does not exist. There's no right or wrong, and you do what you want to do."

But Rihanna added she does not hate Chris.

"I want him to do well, have a great career and great life and grow up." She hoped he could learn from his mistakes. "I think it's possible to change."

Rihanna said she had "no desire at all to be with him," but could not say that they would never reunite. "I can't answer that question right now because you never know what the future holds."

Chris believes the details of the assault should remain private and released a statement to MTV Friday, following Rihanna's appearance on "Good Morning America."

"While I respect Rihanna's right to discuss the specific events of February 8, I maintain my position that all of the details should remain a private matter between us," he said in the statement. "I do appreciate her support and wish her the best. I am extremely sorry for what I did, and I accept accountability for my actions. At this point, I am taking the proper steps to learn about me and grow from my mistakes. I only hope that others in similar situations can learn from our experience as well. Abuse of any kind is always wrong. The rest I leave it to God."

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502 Comments

1. BartF -
Dump the loser and get a real man Rihanna. No matter what he says or how many times he apologizes he going to do the same thing over again to you. It's just a matter of time and eventually he will snap. He's not a man he is a child because real men don't hit woman.

2. beauty1 -
I don't condone abuse of any type. However, I find it funny that she is now speaking out at the same time her album is coming out. On that level that is a shady move, if she really wants to help people she should have spoke out when it first happened but to the public. Go to shelters where abused women are, if u really want to help bring awareness to this topic.

3. Di -
This Rihanna coming out to speak story is a bunch of caca. This girl is a ghetto rat. She went out with him got her but kicked and went back to him. So deal with it. She is now speaking in her west side ghetto way only because she is doing damage control. her new CD is coming out and she needs to get some of the spotlight. She is no better then the Kardashian clan!

4. Sharina B -
I don't condone abuse either but I do believe that she was hitting that man and that night was not the first. I sympathize, but we need to realize that men can be abused too and stop babying these so called abused women.

5. yenifer -
I really think she is just doing this for publicity ... I mean yeah it takes time for someone to really feel comfy to open up and talk about a traumatic experience but the way she is doing things just seems phony to me .. and i agree with beauty ... if she really wants to help she should join one of those causes, charities and stuff like that and speak about it no on tv and exactly when her new album is coming out

6. ari12 -
it's so sad...

7. Yahoo! Music User -
I wonder why they keep bothering us with rihanna's problem, okay do they know in so many countries there are lots of children who don't know where their next meal would come from.
do a documetry on that and you would see good response!

8. Yahoo! Music User -
lol i agree with beauty she should have spoken out back then now a album is coming out ----she trying to sell records and number 2 if he did that u its because u allowed urself to stay n dat position....i still agree abuse is wrong though!!! i was abused myself but i am out that hell hole and if u allow urself to be n dat situation it only gets worse

9. one -
i agree with Di all the way. she needs the spotlight to slang her new crap out so she is doing this why didnt she start doing this from the start. whatever i hope she and her music fade away

10. Shark -
I pray for any young girl that might listen to this woman. It is disgusting that she thinks she can help anyone, as she continues to prove she has not grown from this event one bit.

Chris Brown did get off easy for this heinous crime and we hope he can grow or change, but now Rihanna is illustrating the the precise behaviors of perpetual domestic abuse victims... behaviors impressionable young women may follow and spin them into the world of confusion and severe life issues.

Young ladies- turn a blind eye to this woman and do not think she can help you. Instead, prefer role models that have their act together like Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Emma Watson, etc.etc. You would never see one of them trying to regather the spot light by twisting a horrible event, ignoring what taunting this kind of behavior achieves, or otherwise disrespect their trusting fans or other people in this way.

11. Jonathan -
now she wants to talk after a freaking long time she needs to suck it up and move on she not the first women to get hit and wont be the last

12. Nobody -
"Blablabla she should have talked about it /then/ if she wanted to help blablabla album." You would not allow the woman a chance to come to grips with what happened?

13. Yahoo! Music User -
I agree with you wholeheartedly, Di. She is exactly what you said, plus, she's so creepy looking. She was probably lying for all we know, right? Most girls who go out withthose types often say anything when someone has a disagreement, in order to get their 15 minutes of fame.

Rhianna, you [profane] and creep me out, lol

14. JeanneA -
Why does she have to find a better man? Why find any man? She doesn't need a man. No woman does and I believe a woman is better off without one. They take your power and hold you down. This is not cynicism talking. It's experience. Being a musician, I have never found a man who wanted me to succeed. Well, not more then him anyway. Men are competitive, controlling and unreliable. I expect a lot of back lash to to this remark but I'll bet they are mostly from men!
Women, empower yourself. Put your love and energy into your work, yourself and your loved ones. And no, I am not a lesbian!
Rihanna, tell your story and learn from it. Hopefully other women will too.

15. Patrick -
Rihanna, Chris has grown up... I think you should do the same.... How can you wish him well, when you are literally kicking on a man that's already down???? Cashing in on the whole situation simply because u want to sell records... Thats a shame!!! And I dare to say that since the motive is all about selling records and making money, RIHANNA WILL NOT HELP YOUNG GIRL out there as she claimed. Sometimes I get pissed off with pple's judgment... Its ok to beat ur boyfriend, but its not ok for him to do the same to you.... Remember that she was beating him while he was driving a very fast vehicle.... She could have caused a fatal them accident...

I think the men has been knocked into a box. Believe me, there are more men that suffer emotionally, physical, mental abuses than women. They rarely speak out because they dont want to be viewed as 'not being the man'. So they bear it.

Women tends to get away with virtually everything they do in a relationship simply because they are the women... I know of one woman that shot and killed her husband simply because they had a quarrel and she claimed abuse. Years later, she claims that she is still traumatized by both the abuses and the killing... and people still feel for it... Meanwhile, someone has been shot and killed... and guess what, she was acquainted and discharged... what a shame.

16. yeah! -
rihanna is overrated and ghetto.

17. Chris A -
This is Bullcrap. She doesn't know better, she's barely 21, how is she going to help young girls? She knew, before the incident, that their relationship, wasn't a healthy relationship, and why did she stick? Does she really have to go to National TV and embarrass herself? If she wanted to, she could of done private counceling. She just wants something out of this. Grow up! Deal with it and move on.

18. YANNI B -
TO #11 DUMMY DON, IF YOU WANT TO SEE ANIMALIST BEHAVIOR ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AT FOX NEWS AND LISTEN TO RUSH. OH YEA AND LOOK OUT FOR THOSE BAD A$$ PEOPLE WEARING TEABAGS ON THEIR HEADS AND LETTING THE RICH RADIO TALK HOST TELL THEM TO DO HIS DIRTY WORK WHILE HE IS CONSTANTLY PUTTING MORE AND MORE MONEY IN HIS BANK ACCOUNT. I'M WAITING FOR RUSH AND GLEN AND THE LIKE TO START WRITING CHECK TO HELP THEIR FOLLOWERS BUT I TRUTHLY DOUBT IT BECAUSE HE BELIEVES THAT ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY DESERVES THE RICHES AND I BEST IT IS NOT YOU. BLACK PEOPLE ARE JUST WATCHING HOW ANIMALIST THESE PEOPLE HAVE BECOME AND MY GUESS IS IT WILL CONTINUE FOR OH I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE AT LEAST FOR FOUR YEARS. SINCE YOUR KIND HAVE PUT ON SUCH A GOOD ACT ALL OF THESE YEARS I GUESS THE TRUTH HAD TO COME OUT AND BABY IT'S SPEWING OUT LIKE WATER. YOU ARE NOT BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE. THAT WHAT YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO UNDERSTAND.

19. Naziah -
sm celebs just knw hw to buy the media...bt dnt be one of dem who end up followin in all dis tish*.....im some hw glad chris put rihanna in her place....cos sm women nid it esp. wen they wanna b messin around....dnt riri neva...dnt let looks blind you...

20. Sharina B -
I don't believe a word she says. If I was beaten I wouldn't be doing an interview with a straight face.
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