After whirlwind rise to fame, Chappell Roan doubles down on 'predatory behavior' from fans
Chappell Roan shot to a new level of fame this summer with hits like “Hot To Go!” and “Pink Pony Club” — and with that fame comes a bigger fanbase. The Missouri-born singer is now drawing a new line in the sand on what she’s described as “predatory behavior” from strangers.
In an Instagram post released Friday, 26-year-old Roan — whose real name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz — addressed her discomfort with fans who feel empowered to approach her, call out to her and ask for photos or hugs even when she is not in a work setting.
“For the past 10 years l've been going non-stop to build my project and it's come to the point that I need to draw lines and set boundaries,” she began, noting that while she wanted to be an artist for a “very long time,” she has been subjected to “nonconsensual physical and social interactions.”
“I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don't owe you shit,” Roan wrote.
“When I'm on stage, when I'm performing, when I'm in drag, when I'm at a work event, when I'm doing press ... I am at work,” she continued. “Any other circumstance, l am not in work mode. I am clocked out. I don't agree with the notion that l owe a mutual exchange of energy, time, or attention to people I do not know, do not trust, or who creep me out — just because they're expressing admiration. Women do not owe you a reason why they don't want to be touched or talked to.”
The “Good Luck, Babe!” singer noted that this has “nothing to do with the gratitude and love I feel for my community, for the people who respect my boundaries, and for the love I feel from every person who lifts me up and has stuck with me to help the project get to where it is now.”
Instead, Roan said she is “specifically talking about predatory behavior (disguised as "superfan" behavior) that has become normalized because of the way women who are well-known have been treated in the past. Please do not assume you know a lot about someone's life, personality, and boundaries because you are familiar with them or their work online.”
While Roan says she embraces the “success of the project,” and does feel grateful for her fans, she wrote that she does not accept “creepy people, being touched, and being followed,” likening the situation to that of a woman wearing a “short skirt” and being harassed or catcalled. In Roan’s case, she says, these actions stop her from living her life how she wants.
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“Please stop touching me. Please stop being weird to my family and friends. Please stop assuming things about me. There is always more to the story. I am scared and tired. And please — don't call me Kayleigh,” Roan added, referring to her real name. “I feel more love than I ever have in my life. I feel the most unsafe I have ever felt in my life. There is a part of myself that I save just for my project and all of you. There is a part of myself that is just for me, and I don't want that taken away from me. Thank you for reading this. I appreciate your understanding and support.”
Why Chappell Roan has 'pumped the brakes' on fame
Though Roan has been working steadily in the music industry since her late teens, she only had major breakthrough success in the last year. This coincided with the release of her 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and a slot as an opening act on Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts tour.
Since last year, Roan’s ascent has been huge: Her album topped the charts at No. 1 in the United Kingdom and No. 2 in the United States, and she drew a massive crowd during her first Lollapalooza performance — a far cry from the dozens of people she performed for just a few short years ago. Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who are running together on the Democratic presidential ticket this year, even seemingly took inspiration from Roan’s album for their campaign merch.
Roan’s newfound stardom came with an onslaught of fans, which, according to Roan, has led to some people behaving in ways that she finds inappropriate — such as asking for a hug or calling out at her from car windows. The artist rejected the idea that she should offer time or attention to fans who approach her.
In a July interview with Comment Section podcast host Drew Afualo, Roan said that people have “started to be freaks” — explaining that some fans now follow her and know where members of her family live and work. “This is the time when a few years ago when I said that if [there were] stalker vibes or my family was in danger, I would quit,” Roan said. “And we’re there. We’re there!”
Now Roan said she’s “pumped the brakes” on anything that makes her more famous. “It’s kind of a forest fire right now,” she added. “I’m not trying to go do a bunch of shit.”
In a series of TikToks in August, Roan also claimed she faced “abuse and harassment” from fans who crossed her boundaries.
“I don’t care that abuse and harassment, stalking, whatever is a normal thing to do to people who are famous or a little famous, whatever," she stated in one of her videos. "I don’t care that it’s normal. I don’t care that this crazy type of behavior comes along with the job, or the career field I’ve chosen, that does not make it OK. That doesn’t make it normal. That doesn’t mean I want it. That doesn’t mean that I like it.”
Roan, who previously stated that the character “Chappell Roan” is part of a “project,” has been met with support on social media. Users on TikTok pointed out that Roan isn’t complaining about people asking for her autograph after a show, but instead is stating that she’s uncomfortable when people approach her when she’s out of work mode. Others noted that she’s not the first star to talk about this issue: In 2016, Justin Bieber said he felt like a “zoo animal” when fans came up for photos.
