As both stars step out to promote their new music, isn’t it time to let them live their lives.

I will never EVER condone domestic violence. What Chris Brown did to Rihanna was inexcusable. BUT I also believe that most people — not murderers — deserve a second chance to redeem themselves. And victims also deserve a chance to stop seeing themselves as victims. Rihanna tweeted on Nov. 28, “People won’t stop askin abt it! Its f*ckin annoying! Nobody wants to relive that, but some ppl can’t respect that!”

She also spoke out in the January issue of British GQ about how much she is ready to move on. “It’s a moment in my life I wish would disappear,” she told the magazine.

And you know what – if that’s how she feels –she is entitled to throw off her victimhood. She doesn’t HAVE to be the poster girl for domestic violence, if she doesn’t choose to be.

As for Chris Brown,21,  – he DOES owe Rihanna,22, and society A LOT. #1, to change his behavior so he never hits a woman again and #2, to fulfill the terms of his sentence.

However, by all accounts, he has committed whole-heartedly to both of these obligations. He publicly apologized without excuses to Rihanna in a two-minute video in July, 2009,   and then on this  Nov. 18, LA Superior Court Judge Patricia M. Schnegg commended Chris for his diligence in completing the terms of his probation.

“Out of thousands of probationers, no one has done a better or more consistent job then you have, and I really want to commend you for taking responsibility and for actually working diligently to complete all the things the court has required of you,” she told him.

Chris by then, had completed 73 out of 180 days of his community service and had almost finished with his required domestic violence counseling.

He will still be on probation for some time – he was sentenced to five years probation in Aug/ 2009.

Now since Judge Schnegg saw fit to commend him AND Chris has respected women and appears to have learned a HUGE lesson, I believe it’s fair to let him continue to redeem himself. He has earned the right to a second chance. If we weren’t willing to give people ,especially young people ,who make big mistakes a second chance ever, then we might as well just lock them away in prison and throw away the key. But isn’t forgiveness, a key tenant in our society?

My sense is that Rihanna, who is promoting her new album , Loud, is ready to let him become a better person – that’s one of the reasons she doesn’t want to discuss the awful incident any longer.

Chris has a hot new single – Yeah 3x – that’s climbing the charts for him again. I believe his fans are giving him a second chance too. Now what do you think Hollywoodlifers?

–Bonnie Fuller