Brown, 33, had been sentenced to 75 days behind bars after repeatedly violating his parole on a 1996 drunk driving conviction. He attended a drug rehabilitation program while in jail.

Brown was picked up outside the North Broward Detention Center by his wife, pop star Whitney Houston, in a long, white limo. She jumped into his arms while comedian Chris Rock led a group of supporters in a mock vigil for a bit on his HBO show.

“It’s beautiful out here,” Brown yelled as he embraced Rock.

“I just want to be with my family and my friends,” Brown said. “I’m going home to spend the summer with my kids and work on my life.”

Brown was first arrested in 1996 after he crashed his wife’s black Porsche 911 into a signpost on Ocean Drive in Hollywood. His blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit. Brown spent five days in jail in 1998 and was placed on probation for one year. A warrant for Brown was issued last June after his probation officer said the singer tested positive for cocaine, and he was arrested two months ago at the airport in Newark, N.J.