ALBAWABA - Chappell Roan breaks silence after hotel incident.
Earlier this week, Brazilian footballer Jorginho Frello called out Chappell Roan on Instagram, alleging that the artist’s security spoke to his wife and 11-year-old daughter “in an extremely aggressive manner” at a São Paulo hotel. Today, Roan responded to the allegations in a video posted to her Instagram story.
In his post, shared in both Portuguese and English, Frello said that his family had been staying at the same hotel as Roan ahead of Lollapalooza Brasil, which the singer headlined on Saturday, March 21. According to Frello, after his daughter “walked past the singer's table, looked to confirm it was her, smiled, and went back to sit with her mum” at breakfast, a security guard approached them and accused them of harassing and disrespecting the artist. Frello said that the individual also threatened to file a complaint with the hotel and that the incident left his daughter “in tears” and “extremely shaken.”
“I've lived with football, public exposure, and well-known people for many years, and I understand very well what respect and boundaries are. What happened there was different. It was just a child admiring someone,” Frello wrote. “It’s sad to see this kind of treatment coming from those who should understand the importance of fans.” After Frello shared his post, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Cavaliere, said that Roan would not be permitted to perform at the city’s annual Todo Mundo no Rio event while he is in office.
In a video shared today, March 22, Roan shared her side of the story, noting that the security guard in question was not her personal security and that she never saw a mother and child approach her. “They did not come up to me. "They weren’t doing anything,” Roan stated. “It’s unfair for security to assume someone has bad intentions without cause.” Pitchfork has reached out to Roan’s representatives for comment.
Roan concluded: “I do not hate people who are fans of my music. I do not hate children. Like, that is crazy. I'm sorry to the mother and child; it makes me sad that someone assumed you would do something and that you were uncomfortable. You weren't worthy of that.
The singer has long supported strict boundaries between celebrities, fans, and photographers. Roan recorded an incident with a group of photographers and fans in Paris earlier this month, claiming that they followed and harassed her despite her repeated efforts to cease. She also famously approached a red carpet photographer at the 2024 MTV Music Video Awards, telling him to "shut the fuck up," to which he retorted, "You shut the fuck up." Artists like Noah Kahan and Sabrina Carpenter have supported her position, while Boy George has lately advised her via X to "cheer up...the world is at your feet; stop kicking it!"
Although Roan hasn't put out a new album since her 2023 debut, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, she has released several singles, such as "Good Luck, Babe," "The Giver," and "The Subway." Over the past few years, she has also done a lot of touring. "I do not know when I'll be going on tour again, so this release is the last one," she said, thanking her band, crew, and security team for making her performance possible during her Lollapalooza Brasil performance. I'm so happy it's here.
