Rosie O'Donnell accuses Chris Brown haters

Rosie O'Donnell has declared that she believes Chris Brown is being treated unfairly by the American public and media.

Discussing the 'Yeah 3x' singer on her Sirius XM radio show Rosie Radio on Monday, the chatshow host seemed to imply that Brown was being harshly judged for his past issues because of his skin colour.

"I just don't know why this kid seems to be held to a different standard than anyone else," she said.

When asked by her executive producer if there could be a racial aspect to the public reaction after Brown's recent Good Morning America outburst, O'Donnell said: "I totally think there is, and I also think it's why he felt he was safer with [GMA anchor] Robin Roberts."

A TV insider later told PopEater: "Chris Brown violently beat his girlfriend and almost threw a chair through a window and currently has the number one album on the Billboard charts, and Rosie feels sorry for him because he is black?

"This kid is rich and powerful and keeps getting away with bad behaviour. If Rosie was backstage at GMA when the staff was so frightened they had to call the police, she would be singing a very different tune. This has nothing to do with the colour of his skin but rather his disgraceful behaviour."

Russell Simmons recently called for the public to give Brown "a break".