The performance seemed to have won over the audience at the Shrine Auditorium. But plenty of home viewers weren’t having it, and some chided Mr. Brown for usurping what was supposed to be an honor for Mr. Jackson.

The music journalist Rob Tannenbaum wrote on his Twitter account that Mr. Brown was “making this about himself, not MJ.” The writer Sean Fennessey wasn’t pleased, either, with the way that Mr. Brown’s moment would probably play out in the news media, writing on his Twitter account, “Commence 10,000 word essays about MJ, abuse, child stars, Chris Brown and forgiveness.”

Meanwhile, The Los Angeles Times set up an online survey that asked: “Was Chris Brown faking it at the BET Awards?” (As of this writing, 1,068 readers have cast votes to say, “Chris was 100% faking a breakdown to get sympathy.” But more than 2,000 voters said Mr. Brown was thinking only of Mr. Jackson.)C