Monica has been hailed as an “extraordinary individual,” by the organizers of a Detroit festival after the R&B songstress jumped off stage to defend a female fan who was allegedly attacked by a man in the audience.
The “Boy Is Mine” hitmaker was performing at the Riverfront Music Festival in Detroit on Saturday (22 July) when she halted the show after spotting an altercation in the crowd.
“Don’t you hit her like that!” Monica said to the male fan before urging security to kick him out. “Listen, if y’all don’t get that n#### up outta here … Is you out your f###### mind?”
However, Monica wasn’t satisfied with how the situation was handled and took matters into her own hands. She hopped off the stage to confront the man telling him: “You don’t hit no f###### lady like that! F###-ass n####.”
Once she returned to the stage, Monica apologized to her fans, explaining she felt “triggered” by the man.
“That s### triggered me,” she told the crowd. “I seen him punch that lady in the face, I lost my f#####’ temper.” She apologized multiple times before adding. “You know how triggering that s### is? I was gonna knock his ass out with this f#####’ mic.” Monica went viral after footage of the incident surfaced, with fans reviving her “Goonica” nickname.
Despite her multiple apologies, festival organizers praised Monica for coming to the woman’s defense. Spokesperson Andrus Macdonald thanked the singer for her “courage and decisive intervention,’ and condemned violence “particularly against women,” per CBS.
He added, “Her actions demonstrated a commitment to the safety and respect of her fans, reinforcing our belief that she is not just an extraordinary talent, but an extraordinary individual as well.”