Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, known professionally as Chappell Roan, has risen to be one of the biggest stars in the United States. From paparazzi to her signature style, she has absolutely changed the pop scene. Recently, she has come under fire for her treatment of fans and photographers. Are her haters onto something, or misogynistic?
Dropped From Her Label
In the midst of 2020, Roan was signed to Atlantic Records. Roan showed her label the song “Pink Pony Club,” and they were immediately hesitant. They told her it would be a flop. After much back-and-forth, the song was released on April 3, 2020. Like Atlantic Records suspected, the song flopped, and Roan was dropped from her record deal shortly after. The song was eventually re-released on September 22, 2023, as a part of her biggest album “The Rise And Fall Of A Mid-west Princess.” This became one of her biggest hits and skyrocketed her into stardom.
The Scandal
Ada Law, the daughter of actor Jude Law and stepdaughter of football player Jorginho Frello, was at a luxury hotel in São Paulo, Brazil, when she saw a certain curly red-haired celebrity walk past their table. According to Frello, the child walked past Roan’s table without saying anything to see if it really was her. Soon after, a hotel security guard who was mistaken for one of Roan’s came to their table and lectured the child to the point of tears. Frello turned to Instagram to share their story and bash Roan. Even leading to the Mayor of Rio, Eduardo de Costa Paes, to post a ban on Roan from one of Brazil’s most popular music festivals.“As long as I’m in charge of our city, this young lady (@ChappellRoan) will never perform at Todo Mundo no Rio!”
According to Rolling Stone, the security guard has since taken full responsibility for the incident, citing that he was not working for Roan in any way. Frello has also sent out an update clearing Roan of any blame for the event. Even though she has been cleared of blame, will this leave a lasting impact on Roan’s success?
Rags To Riches?
One of Roan’s biggest strengths in her career is her relatability. She’s a ‘mid-west princess’, she’s just like us. She has made many remarks claiming to struggle financially throughout her life, namely, telling the Los Angeles Times, “When you’ve been poor, you’re not really scared of anything.” Said Roan.
Lately, fans have been questioning the validity of these claims. Citing her attendance at Grammy camp and her wealthy grandfather, she gets her stage name from. There are claims from both her biggest fans and haters that she raised money for the Grammy camp and that her grandpa paid for it all. This is a huge he-said-she-said battle, and I truly doubt either side cares for the real answer.
Why is it not okay when someone like Roan sets the same boundaries?
One piece of this story that I can’t ignore is the double standards for Roan. She has been labeled a mean girl who does not appreciate her fans and has been receiving a lot of backlash. For years, another popular artist, Tyler, The Creator, has told interviewers that he does not like it when his fans film him in public. “Because of the internet, people don’t know personal boundaries anymore… We don’t know each other,” Tyler said on “Mavericks” with Maverick Carter.
Misogyny plays a huge role in Roan’s downfall. Zara Larson, a Swedish pop star who has been topping charts with hits like “Midnight Sun,” thinks Roan’s treatment by the public is unfair. She told Rolling Stone, “When a woman has boundaries, I think people freak out,” she said. “Men can do violent criminal things, and people applaud them, but when a woman says, ‘Stop following me,’ it’s controversial? It’s like, you guys just hate women, actually.” This is exemplified perfectly when we compare the reaction to people like Tyler, the Creator and Chappell Roan. Roan received loads of hate comments while Tyler gets praised for ignoring his fans.
Zendaya’s Private Wedding
One thing that has had me questioning “Is this a publicity stunt?” is other celebrities’ ability to stay out of the public eye. Most recently, actors Zendaya and Tom Holland have been rumored to be married. While Zendaya herself has not confirmed it, Law Roach, Zendaya’s longtime stylist, told Access Hollywood they tied the knot. “The wedding has already happened. You missed it.” Roach said.
Many celebrities can stay out of the public eye. For example, Frank Ocean has managed to stay out of the public eye for years. “ I always thought that was a misconception. I think the whole idea of me as a recluse is absurd ’cause I’m in the streets like all the time. I’m outside all the time, I’m traveling the world all the time. It’s funny to me that that’s the perception, but I understand what people mean by it in this new paradigm.” Ocean tells GAYLETTER.
Fans V. Paparazzi
One of the biggest misconceptions about Roan is that she is rude to her fans. Though I have not seen a clip of her being rude to her fans, only to the paparazzi. The paparazzi has been a longtime issue for many celebrities. With celebs like Camila Cabello writing on her Twitter in 2022, “I held my core so tight my abs hurt and didn’t breathe and barely smiled and was so self-conscious of where the paps were the whole time. I couldn’t let go and relax and do what we’re meant to do when we go out into nature. I tried to pretend they weren’t there, but I couldn’t, and I held my breath from my sun chair to the ocean.” She was simply having a day at the beach when the paparazzi showed up and began harassing her.
Baby Chappell
Just a few years ago, I remember the internet celebrating Roan and her kindness to fans. In June 2024, Roan was a headliner for the Kentuckiana Pride Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. There, a superfan was lucky enough to meet her behind the scenes. At the time, two-year-old “Baby Chappell” was an internet sensation. The baby loved Roam and her music and had the red curly hair to match. In the video we can see Roan lowering herself to be on the level of the child and speaking to her softly, even introducing herself as Kayliegh.
At the end of the day, I do not believe Roan hates her fans.
She has shown kindness and compassion to her loyal followers and has made many attempts to clear her name of the ‘mean girl’ title she has been given. The hate of paparazzi and invasive reporters has tarnished her name. Roan has set a new industry standard for how stars like herself are treated with more respect.