Monica on Seeing Man Hit Woman at Live Concert: “It Was Only in My Mind to Protect and Serve and Be There for This Woman”
Grammy-winning R&B star Monica says she is doing fine after jumping into the audience during a live concert to help a woman who had been hit by a man.
In videos posted on social media, the singer yells “don’t you hit her like that” after seeing a male punch a woman. She asks security to remove the man and apologizes to the audience for the drama.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Britney Spears and will.i.am Release New Song "Mind Your Business"
From Lady Gaga to Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett Was the King of Duets
On Monday, she told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview: “I’m great. My entire team is great.”
“There was an altercation in the audience between a man and woman that I could tell from my viewpoint onstage. It was heating up as I was attempting to get security’s attention to ask them to de-escalate it, and unfortunately, they weren’t able to fully understand what I was asking them to do. And I did everything I could after seeing him strike her to prevent her from being hit again,” she said.
“It was very triggering for me to see a woman be assaulted by a man,” Monica added, “but I thank God that we were able to prevent it from going further than it did and everyone made it home safe.”
The altercation took place Saturday night at Hart Plaza in Detroit. Monica was headlining the Riverfront Music Festival.
Monica, whose hits include “So Gone,” “The Boy Is Mine” and “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days),” says she wants concertgoers to be mindful when attending to live shows and interacting with fellow audience members.
“I would just want for people to start governing themselves a lot better when you’re in these crowded situations. When you go to festivals and concerts — it’s going to be a lot of people, it’s going to be a lot of touching, it’s going to be a lot of interaction and maybe uncomfortable moments, and those are things we have to prepare for and govern ourselves properly. It was only in my mind to protect and serve and be there for this woman that I could see from the stage,” she said.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
