Sunny Hostin on intimate partner violence

View co-host Sunny Hostinformer federal prosecutor, wants viewers who watched Chris Brown: A history of violence documentary on a Sunday evening to know that intimate partner violence has no limits.

“Domestic violence is an epidemic hidden in plain sight. It doesn’t discriminate. In this respect, wealth in many cases has little to do with it,” Hostin said Hollywood reporter on Friday, before hosting a post-show discussion on domestic violence that aired after the show Discovery of the investigation documentary about Chris Brown.

The documentary discussed Brown’s years of alleged off-stage aggression, includingintimate partner violence, assault accusations and sexual assault allegations that first came to light in 2009 when the star rapper pleaded guilty to charges of physically assaulting ex-girlfriend Rihanna.

“This was not an isolated incident. It has only attracted attention because it has a big name associated with it. Our goal is to say, ‘This is happening to so many people and you are not alone,'” said Hostin, who is also a board member of Safe Horizon, a national organization working to reduce relationship violence and harassment.

She added that progress in stopping domestic violence will not be achieved if allegations and cases involving perpetrators of violence against celebrities become a sensation and the stories of ordinary victims are not heard. “It’s something that doesn’t just happen to famous people. This doesn’t just apply to Rihanna. This is not just the case with R. Kelly, P. Diddy, Harvey Weinstein or Jeffrey Epstein,” Hostin insisted.

The legal system can hold perpetrators of domestic and intimate partner violence accountable, but without media attention on high-profile cases involving the rich and famous. Given the scale of the problem, Hostin said she jumped at the opportunity to host a post-premiere panel on Brown’s documentary to offer tools and resources aimed at educating viewers on how to recognize and stop domestic violence. Hostin was joined by experts and advocates including NO MORE co-founder Jane Randel, National Domestic Violence Hotline CEO Katie Ray-Jones, Miss Kansas 2024 and healthy relationship advocate Alexis Smith, cultural journalist Scaachi Koul and psychologist Dr. Carolyn West.

“It’s very important to know if something like this is happening to a friend of yours, a family member, or even if it’s happening to you. Part of this is isolation, mental and financial abuse, and sometimes there is sexual and psychological abuse,” she added.

Hostin pointed out that perpetrators of violence without assets also have options. “I have been told stories by survivors that they contacted family members and either did not believe them or tried to convince them to stay with the perpetrators. It’s really happening,” she argued.

When asked about the entertainment industry after #MeToo – after Harvey Weinstein was convicted of a crime and imprisoned, and now in prison Sean “Diddy” Combs is awaiting criminal trial this includes racketeering conspiracy charges – where powerful celebrities can build a network of people enabling them to sexually exploit them. Hostin insisted that bad people thrive when good people don’t come forward.

“Often people see certain things and for some reason do not speak up – perhaps their job is at stake. Maybe they don’t recognize the signs. “This part is extremely disturbing,” she said, adding that the documentary and post-release discussion are critical to providing tools for survivors of domestic violence to come forward, share their stories and be an example to others.

“(Domestic violence) thrives in silence, and unfortunately people enable this behavior by not paying attention to it or talking about it,” she warned.

When talk to THR earlier this weekID President Jason Sarlanis said Brown’s paper will also help launch ID’s third yearbook “No excuses for abuse” campaign.aims to “normalize survival.”

The doctor conducted an extended interview with Jane Doe, the accuser who in December 2020 party held by another rapper Diddy on Star Island, where Brown allegedly raped her in a bedroom on the yacht. The document follows the latest arrests and criminal charges set against Diddy, who will also become the subject of an upcoming documentary on identity which is scheduled to be released in 2025.

When ID producers contacted Brown and his representatives, the singer’s lawyer said the allegations in the show were “malicious and false.”

“This documentary (by Chris Brown) serves as a cautionary tale for our audience in that it illustrates the patterns and cycles of violence that occur among male and female perpetrators of domestic violence. “Being able to shed light on this is really valuable for our viewers,” Sarlanis said THR.