Inside Usher and Chris Brown’s Tour Blowup and Cancellations: They Can’t ‘Stand Each Other’ (Exclusive Source)

NEED TO KNOW

• A source tells PEOPLE Usher and Chris Brown clashed over delayed Atlanta show start times and creative control

• The R&B stars’ onstage hugs reportedly masked continued backstage tension, with both artists allegedly avoiding each other

• A source says interpersonal conflict, not ticket sales, led to canceled Los Angeles and Miami dates

Usher and Chris Brown may be sharing the stage, but behind the scenes, things between the R&B stars are reportedly far from harmonious.

Despite putting on a united front during their joint R&B Tour, the singers are still dealing with significant tension following a backstage blowup in Atlanta that was first reported by TMZ, a source close to the situation tells PEOPLE.

According to the source, the issues between the two artists go back well before they agreed to tour together. The insider describes their relationship as more of a professional association than a friendship, adding that Usher, 48, has long viewed Brown, 37, as egotistical and someone who struggles with anger.

The tension reached a boiling point during the opening night of their Atlanta run, when the concert started nearly two and a half hours late.

The source tells PEOPLE that Brown wanted to push back the start time because of heavy traffic around the stadium, hoping to give fans more time to make it inside. Usher, however, was frustrated by the delay and blamed Brown for the late start.

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The disagreement reportedly escalated into a heated backstage exchange, with Usher yelling at Brown, “You think you know ATL better than me?”

The source says the two artists’ competing egos and desire to have the final say creatively had already been creating friction before the tour even began.

PEOPLE was told their respective teams subsequently stepped in to try to smooth things over, and the singers managed to share the stage for several songs. They performed together, including on “Black to Sleep” and “It Depends (Remix),” and appeared to make peace in front of the audience, hugging and dapping each other up.

But according to the source, the public display of affection didn’t reflect what was happening behind the scenes.

“They were doing it for show,” the source says, adding that the two were still not speaking backstage.

The temporary truce reportedly didn’t last, with disagreements over show start times resurfacing. The source tells PEOPLE that the friction has become so significant that both artists have been reluctant to move forward with certain performances.

The ongoing tension was also reportedly behind a just-canceled Los Angeles date, with the insider disputing a rumor about low ticket sales. Instead, the source alleges the issue is the singers’ inability to get along — saying the two can’t “stand each other” — and their reluctance to move forward together.

The pair’s Monday, Nov. 16 show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., was canceled, as was an additional Dec. 6 date in Miami. Their Sunday, Nov. 15 Los Angeles performance remains listed on Ticketmaster as of press time.

The source tells PEOPLE that even the artists’ teams are not completely certain whether Usher and Brown will both take the stage for this coming Sunday’s performance.

For now, the insider says the financial stakes of the tour and their commitment to fans are motivating the singers — who allegedly came to blows previously in May 2023 — to put their differences aside. But a real resolution will require the two to sit down and address their issues directly.

“They really hate each other right now,” the source says.

Representatives for Usher and Brown did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

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