R&B star Mario assaulted on stage by female fan in shocking Detroit concert incident

Mario Dewar Barrett, known professionally as Mario, was assaulted on stage by a female fan during a weekend performance in Detroit.

The American R&B singer was performing at the Jack White Theatre on Saturday night when a woman in the front row reached up from the crowd and grabbed his crotch.

Mario, 39, was serenading the crowd in a black leather vest and grey leather pants when a fan at the front of the crowd reached for the singer.

Footage circulating online shows the fan, who appeared to be wearing a wedding ring, extending her hand and groping the 39-year-old performer mid-song.

Mario immediately recoiled, removing her hand and scolding her in front of the audience.

“Stop doing that, please,” he said as he stepped back from the edge of the stage, visibly uncomfortable but continuing the show.

The video has since gone viral, sparking widespread backlash across social media.

“That’s literal assault!” one viewer wrote.

“Because why would you think that was ok tho,” another commented.

“That’s not okay by any standard,” a third added, while others noted the singer “looks embarrassed” and “clearly uncomfortable”.

This is not the first time the Let Me Love You singer has experienced an uncomfortable moment on stage.

On October 11, the star was performing his 2002 hit “Braid My Hair” at Big Fresno Fair when a cameraman, who has since been identified as Ryab Hudgins, appeared on the stage behind him.

Mario quickly stopped singing and said, “Yo, get the f..k off the stage...get off the stage!”

However, not long after the incident, the singer issued a public apology on Instagram Stories, according to Vibe.

“People are misinformed about the Fresno situation,” he wrote at the time.

“No one told us a cameraman was shooting my set. I got to the show 10 min before my performance and went on stage.”

Mario then noted that he was distracted by seeing the cameraman in his peripheral vision repeatedly and “almost tripped” over the speaker to make sure he wasn’t walking in the same direction. He pointed out that Hudgins “was too far down stage.”

“A cameraman is not supposed to be that far down stage unless he’s with you and shooting you that close for a reason. It really can throw you off. In the midst of all of that while walking back stage right, I got frustrated and that’s when I said, ‘Yo you gotta get the f--- off the stage,’” Mario wrote.

He then said he would “take accountability” for the way he reacted and called himself a “0 to 100 type of person.”

“This is why I stay out the way most of the time,” Mario added. “I never want one recorded incident to wipe away the work I’ve done as a person to stay out of ya’ll mouths and the blogs!! I’ve performed under all types of circumstances. I’m a very professional person through and through. Anybody who works with me knows that.”

He then offered a personal apology to Hudgins. “To the cameraman, you got caught in the cross fire my boi and I’m sorry u had to experience that! It was nothing personal. You’re welcomed to come and shoot me on tour it will be ‘Nothing But Us’ tour and we can do it the right way!” Mario wrote.