Chappell Roan under fire Child cries after encounter - now a pop star is coming under pressure

Singer Chappell Roan is currently making headlines. The reason: her treatment of fans and paparazzi. What's behind the accusations?

Paparazzi, flashbulbs, screaming fans - anyone in the spotlight has to put up with a lot. Singer Chappell Roan has also experienced this.

The 28-year-old celebrated her international breakthrough in 2023 with her debut album "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess". Since then, the American with Swiss roots has been in the spotlight.

And as is so often the case, dealing with paparazzi and fans is not always easy - sometimes it works well, sometimes not so much. This is also the case for the singer - but she is currently being criticized for it.

11-year-old experienced "harrowing situation"

The singer recently hit the headlines because she - or more precisely a bodyguard - made an 11-year-old girl cry. Football star Jorginho Frello published a long statement on his Instagram story on Saturday in which he described how his family had experienced a "harrowing situation" with one of the singer's security guards at breakfast in a hotel in São Paulo.

His daughter, a big fan of Chappell Roan, had made a sign that she wanted to take to the Lollapalooza festival in São Paulo, where the artist was performing. The 34-year-old did not give a name, but according to several media reports, it was Ada Law, daughter of his wife Catherine Harding from a previous relationship with actor Jude Law.

Frello described how his daughter recognized the star at breakfast at a nearby table, gave her a brief nod and smiled. Without saying a word, she then returned to her seat. "What happened next was completely out of proportion," he wrote.

A "large security guard" then approached his wife and daughter in an "extremely aggressive tone". "He said she should not allow my daughter to 'disrespect' or 'harass' other people. He even said he would file a complaint against her with the hotel, while my eleven-year-old daughter sat there crying. My daughter was extremely upset and cried a lot."

Fierce criticism

Rio de Janeiro's mayor Eduardo Cavaliere also reacted to the incident and unceremoniously excluded the singer from an upcoming performance at the "Todo Mundo no Rio" concert in the Brazilian metropolis.

"As long as I am in charge in our city, this young lady Chappell Roan will never perform at Todo Mundo no Rio! I doubt that Shakira would do such a thing! By the way, Frello Jorginho - your little girl has already been invited as the guest of honor at the event in May!", Cavaliere announced on X.

The singer was also criticized on social media. "She should be ashamed of herself", wrote one user on X about Chappell Roan. One of her Instagram posts read: "Respect the kids!", "Respect your fans!" or "Your fans are the reason you are where you are today. Show a little more gratitude."

Chappell Roan publishes statement

On Sunday, the singer finally published a statement on her Instagram story. "I did not ask the security guard to speak to this mother and her child. They didn't approach me, they didn't do anything," she said in it.

Chappell Roan went on to say: "It's unfair of the security guards to accuse someone of not having good intentions when they have no reason to because no action was taken." The security guard in question was also not part of her personal security service.

And she clarified: "I don't hate people who are fans of my music. I don't hate children. That's crazy. I'm sorry for the mother and the child that someone assumed something like that. If they felt uncomfortable, that makes me really sad."

The paparazzi incident in Paris

But the fan incident is not the only one that has recently brought Chappell Roan criticism. Among other things, a paparazzi incident in Paris during Fashion Week caused quite a stir: Chappell Roan was just getting out of her car in front of a restaurant when several photographers were already ambushing her.

She pulled out her cell phone and started filming. "I'm just trying to go to dinner and I've already told these people to get lost several times," she said into the camera. She then pointed her cell phone at the paparazzi - and addressed one person in particular who wanted her signature. "They hide their faces because they're ashamed," she added.

"We made the wrong person famous," criticized one user in the comments under the video. Another user commented: "Don't be famous if you can't take the pressure." Others commented: "She could have just gone to a restaurant" or "What is she trying to achieve?"

Others showed understanding for her reaction. "She's allowed to say no," wrote one user. Another commented: "You can't be protecting the paparazzi." And another person added: "I agree with her - with anyone else you'd say: 'Oh, this poor woman is being harassed. So just because she's famous, she's not allowed to set boundaries? That's unfair. She works hard for her success and deserves to be able to eat in peace."

"Shut the fuck up!"

This is not the first time that Chappell Roan has clashed with paparazzi. There have been similar scenes in the past. For example, at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards: a video shows a photographer shouting a harsh "Shut up!" at Roan.

Roan reacted visibly angry, pointed at the man and replied: "Shut the fuck up!" After a short pause, she added warningly, "Don't. Not with me, bitch!"

"That was pretty overwhelming and scary," Roan said in an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" after the red carpet incident. "For someone like me, who gets nervous even with loud shouting, the red carpet is just terrifying. So I yelled back, you can't talk to me like that!"

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