Over the last few weeks, Chappell Roan has been under fire for her recent viral video, in which she refused to endorse a presidential candidate for November’s election.
In the video, Roan said she is “critiquing both sides,” and won’t endorse a candidate because she can’t accept certain leftists policies she views as “transphobic and completely genocidal.”
Later in the video she did say she is voting for Kamala Harris, and encourages other voters to go to the polls and vote for what they think is the “best option we have right now.”
The video came after strong reactions to an interview Roan did with The Guardian, in which the singer said “I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides.”
Though Roan defends her statement, fans viewed the star’s comments as what Roan called “playing both sides.” She responded by asserting that she was not playing both sides, but rather said she was “critiquing both sides.”
This isn’t the “Casual” singer’s only controversy — she’s been criticized before for a video she posted asking fans to respect her boundaries, which fans found unrealistic due to the star’s status. For them, being harassed or followed in public is a consequence of the star’s fame, which Roan equated to blaming the victim in incidents of rape.
Fans viewed the previous comment as completely insensitive and off-hand. However, it was later revealed that the incident Roan reacted to involved a fan approaching her in a bar and kissing her without consent.
Roan gained fame this year after her song “Good Luck, Babe!” went viral on TikTok, with others like “Pink Pony Club” and “Casual” also gaining popularity. The artist went on to play at Coachella and the VMAs, winning the VMA for best new artist.
On the VMAs red carpet, Roan also faced some heat for yelling at a photographer, “you shut the f**k up,” after they allegedly snapped at a fellow photographer. In context, it appears Roan is standing up for the photographer that was told off, but otherwise the behavior seems extreme.
Roan has been very candid about her reactions to being thrown into fame, and her need to maintain some level of privacy. Roan took to Instagram to announce that she would not be attending a scheduled appearance at the All Things Go Music Festival in New York. “Things have gotten overwhelming over the past few weeks,” Roan said. “I feel pressure to prioritize a lot of things right now and I need a few days to prioritize my health.”
Despite quickly gaining an extremely large fanbase, after Roan’s controversies a lot of fans have turned on the artist. They continue criticizing Roan for her apparent bad attitude and reacting to her recent concert cancellations in light of her mental health. Some fans criticized Roan, saying she lacked respect for the time and money fans spent to go and see her perform, and comparing her to other artists.
Other fans have jumped to her defense, coining catchphrases like “women don’t owe you shit” in defense of Roan’s right to maintain her boundaries and opinions. Some fans have also questioned how her fans could so quickly turn against her for simply advocating for her own boundaries.
As if Roan hadn’t faced enough criticism, a Saturday Night Live skit restarted conversations about the singer. In the skit, comedian Bowen Yang dressed as viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng, parodying Roan’s previous statements about needing fans to respect her boundaries and mental health needs.
The star hasn’t yet responded to the skit, but Yang is under fire for what some fans perceived as the SNL comedian making fun of Roan’s mental health issues.
What's Your Reaction?
