The view Co-host Sunny Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, wants viewers who saw this Chris Brown: A History of Violence Documentary on Sunday evening to know that intimate partner violence knows no boundaries.

“Domestic violence is an epidemic that occurs in secret. It doesn’t discriminate. In this regard, wealth has little to do with many instances,” Hostin said The Hollywood Reporter on Friday before moderating the after-show discussion on domestic violence, which aired after the Investigation Discovery documentary about Chris Brown.

The documentary examined Brown’s years of alleged off-stage aggression, including intimate partner violence, assault charges and sexual assault, which first came to light in 2009 when the star rapper pleaded guilty to a felony charge of physically assaulting his former girlfriend Rihanna had.

“This was not an isolated incident. It only attracted attention because it had a big name. And 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 that works to reduce violence and abuse in relationships.

She added that progress in curbing domestic violence cannot be made when allegations and cases involving high-profile perpetrators are sensationalized and the stories of ordinary survivors are not heard. “This doesn’t just happen to famous people. This doesn’t just happen to Rihanna. “This doesn’t just happen with an R. Kelly or a P Diddy or a Harvey Weinstein or a Jeffrey Epstein,” emphasized Hostin.

The legal system can hold perpetrators of domestic violence and intimate partner abuse accountable, but without taking into account the media attention on high-profile cases involving the rich and famous. Given the magnitude of the problem, Hostin took the opportunity to serve as moderator of the post-premiere panel for The Brown Doctor to offer viewers tools and resources to learn how to recognize abuse and stop domestic violence. Hostin was joined by experts and advocates including NO MORE co-founder Jane Randel, CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline Katie Ray-Jones, Miss Kansas 2024 and healthy relationship advocate Alexis Smith, arts journalist Scaachi Koul and psychologist Dr. Carolyn West.

“It is very important to know whether it is happening to a friend, a family member or perhaps even yourself. Because that includes isolation, psychological abuse, financial abuse, sometimes sexual abuse as well as psychological abuse,” she added.

Hostin pointed out that perpetrators without wealth also have enablers. “I’ve been told (survival) stories that they turned to family members and either didn’t believe them or tried to convince them to stay with their tormentors. “This is actually happening,” she argued.

When asked about the post-#MeToo entertainment industry — after the criminal conviction and incarceration of Harvey Weinstein and the now-jailed Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is awaiting a criminal trial that includes racketeering conspiracy charges — influential celebrities can build a network of enablers who can make them happen Hostin insisted that when good people don’t speak up, bad people succeed.

“Often people see things and don’t speak up for some reason – maybe their job is on the line. Maybe they don’t recognize the signs. The empowering part is extremely concerning,” she said, adding that the doc and its post-premiere discussion were crucial in providing tools to enable domestic violence survivors to come forward, tell their stories and engage others to be a role model.

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

When speaking with THR Earlier this week, ID President Jason Sarlanis said the Brown document, which will also help launch ID’s third annual No Excuse for Abuse campaign, aims to “normalize survival.”

The documentary filmmaker conducted an in-depth interview with Jane Doe, an accuser who was invited to a party thrown by fellow rapper Diddy on Star Island in December 2020, where she alleged that Brown raped her in a bedroom on a yacht. The document follows the recent arrest and criminal charges filed against Diddy, which will also be the subject of an upcoming ID documentary scheduled for release in 2025.

When producers of the ID documentary contacted Brown and his representatives, a lawyer for the singer said the allegations in the show were “malicious and false.”

“This (Chris Brown) documentary acts as a cautionary tale for our audience as it illustrates the patterns and cycles of abuse that occur among men and women who perpetrate domestic violence. The opportunity to shine a light on this is really valuable for our viewers,” Sarlanis said THR.