Chris Brown was excited to show the entire world what he had been working so hard for ahead of his American Music Awards appearance, but they took him out of the lineup before he could even set foot onstage.

Fans noticed the lineup was missing one performance hour before the AMAs aired. According to reports, the AMAs dropped Brown from this year’s lineup at the last minute with little explanation.

Brown took to Instagram to vent about what happened, posting a video of himself rehearsing for his award show performance. He titled it, “Are you serious? [sic]”

He continued in the comments:

“Would’ve been the AMA performance but they canceled me for reasons unknown.”

Aside from performing his own song, “Under The Influence,” the singer had planned to pay tribute to Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. The music was a remix of his own song that led to “Beat It,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” and “Thriller.”

Brown has previously paid tribute to Jackson, including at the BET Awards in 2010, a year after Jackson’s death, according to reports.

Fans and other artists were devastated and disappointed by the abrupt cancellation.

“Stop playing with Chris Brown bru, [sic]” wrote fellow R&B singer Jacquees, referring to the award show’s treatment of both Brown and Jackson.

Rapper Jermaine Dupri was among those who took the cancellation personally, explaining why it was such a blow.

The rapper said in an Instagram post:

“If the American Music Awards canceled the Chris Brown performance. Then that means they canceled the 40th anniversary of Thriller. Which means they canceled the Michael Jackson tribute. Black Music, we in trouble.”

“Thriller” is Michael Jackson’s sixth studio album, marking a watershed moment in his musical career. Pop, rock, funk, and R&B are all represented on the album.

“Thriller,” “Beat It,” “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” and “The Girl Is Mine,” which featured Paul McCartney, were among the album’s many hits.