Should Chris Brown be allowed back on TV after beating up Rihanna?

ABC’s ‘Good Morning America‘ thinks so.

The same show that canceled Adam Lambert has booked the former felon for an interview and a performance scheduled to air in two weeks.

“The network is giving a mixed message — that it doesn’t trust someone who shocked with an unpredictable show and a gay kiss, but then it is happy to go ahead with Chris Brown, who was convicted of felony assault,” the quoted an ABC source.

But is it a mixed message – or are they two different issues?

Lambert’s appearance was reportedly canceled because GMA producers said he could not be trusted on live television.

Brown is a convicted felon whose scheduled appearance on the morning show has apparently already angered feminists and anti-violence organizations.

“The two really aren’t related,” a former talent booker said. “On the other hand, what is evident is that controversy sells television. It gets ratings.”

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Following his GMA cancellation, Lambert appeared on CBS’ ‘The Early Show’ and ‘The Late Show with David Letterman” without incident.

Brown and his mother sat with Larry King last August and said he was in “shock” and didn’t “know what to think” about his attack on Rihanna. He has kept a low profile in the media since then – perhaps to rethink his message.

So why the uproar about his forthcoming date on GMA?

“I can see the question Chris Brown raises,” a Hollywood publicist told Fancast. “But do you ban someone like Brown? Or do you talk to him and see if he’s learned anything from his experiences. Maybe viewers can learn from him. Felons are interviewed on TV all the time.”

Brown, who taped his interview last week with GMA’s Robin Roberts, won’t be the first celebrity convicted of a crime to go on TV.

L’il Kim, also a convicted felon, competed on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ two seasons ago.

As for Brown, he pled guilty last fall to assaulting his ex girlfriend, superstar singer Rihanna after the Grammy Awards in February. He received six months of hard labor and five years probation. Since then, he has been working to reclaim his once-red hot career. He is promoting his new album, Graffiti.

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Only a few weeks ago, GMA’s Diane Sawyer snagged a headline-making exclusive with Brown’s ex girlfriend, superstar singer Rihanna.

Rihanna, who was also promoting her new album, Rated R, told Sawyer the beating was “traumatizing” and that returning to Brown was “a mistake.” However, she said she wanted to speak out in the hope she could help inform other girls going through similar situations.

What might Brown’s message be this time around? Is there value in hearing from him again? That seems like the real question – not whether GMA should book him, but why?

Stay tuned.

More on These Topics: Chris Brown | Diane Sawyer | Good Morning America | Rihanna | Robin Roberts | Top