Chappell Roan’s debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, couldn’t have been more prophetic if it tried.
Roan went from a midwestern nobody to a pop sensation overnight, but that meteoric rise was quickly followed by a slew of controversies and backlash online.
The hitmaker has won Best New Artist at the 2025 Grammys, sold out venues around the world, and has multiple hit songs topping the Billboard Hot 100, but some fans aren't buying what she's selling.
The “Pink Pony Club” singer has struggled with fame, getting embroiled in controversies and negative fan reactions over cancelling concerts, her political views, and for setting boundaries with pushy paparazzi that have left her open to hate from critics.
Yes, every celebrity makes a Faustian bargain, trading privacy for fame and riches, but two things can be true at once. Although some fan and paparazzi interactions come with the territory, the hate Roan has received is rooted in misogyny and American society’s desire to take down a confident woman.
In just a few short years, Roan has found herself in the center of some pretty dramatic moments. Check out the ranking below!
8. Canceled concerts to go to the VMAs
Just five days before she was set to perform at two concerts in Amsterdam and Paris, Roan pulled out due to "scheduling conflicts" that later turned out to be caused by her decision to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards instead. Fans who had already booked tickets, travel, and accommodations were angered by the star's decision.
7. Called out fans as entitled
When she was first rising to superstardom in 2024, Roan made a candid TikTok video where she called out fans for being “entitled” and exhibiting “creepy behavior.”
“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,” she said. “I don’t care that it’s normal. I don’t care that this crazy type of behavior comes along with the job, the career field I’ve chosen. That does not make it okay. That doesn’t make it normal. That doesn’t mean I want it. Doesn’t mean that I like it. I don’t. Whatever the f**k you think you’re supposed to be entitled to whenever you see a celebrity... I’m allowed to say no to creepy behavior.”
6. Rich girl accusations
March 2026 has been a rough one for Roan, who has been at the center of scandal after scandal all month long.
Following a controversy around her alleged interaction with an 11-year-old fan (more on that below), critics started digging into the singer’s supposed past as a privileged “rich girl.” This one can be traced back to a now-viral TikTok video that claimed Roan’s grandfather is a multi-millionaire who owns an expensive golf coursem and that her uncle is a Republican politician.
Fans have also been alleging that Roan attending a $3,000 Grammy camp as a teenager is further proof that she grew up wealthy. It’s unclear how much money Roan’s family had, but the Springfield News-Leader reported in 2014 that Roan was holding a benefit concert to raise money to pay for the camp.
5. Election endorsement drama
During the 2024 presidential election, Roan faced harsh criticism from progressive fans who were angry when she refused to endorse the Democratic candidate. As a reminder, Joe Biden tried running for re-election before dropping out of the race and endorsing his Vice President, Kamala Harris.
“Endorsing and voting are completely different,” she said in a video she made about her decision. “I don’t agree with a lot of what is going on with policies — obviously, f**k the policies of the right, but also f**k some of the policies on the left. That’s why I can’t endorse. That’s why I can’t put my entire name in my entire project behind one.”
After dealing with fan outrage, she later made a video endorsing Harris, but still expressed frustration with the Democratic Party — especially the party’s response to the war in Palestine.
4. Her nipple-centric Grammys look
Roan shocked prudish fans and made headlines when she showed up to the 2026 Grammys in a nearly topless look with a sheer gown attached only to a set of prosthetic nipples.
“Giggling because I don’t even think this is THAT outrageous of an outfit,” she wrote on Instagram after she faced backlash for her outfit. “The look’s actually so awesome and weird. I recommend just exercising your free will it’s really fun and silly :D. Thank you for having me @grammys and those who voted for me!!”
3. When she clapped back at paparazzi
At Paris Fashion Week in March 2026, Roan slammed paparazzi for “harassing” her and turned the tables on them by using her phone to film them right back, all while looking like an old Hollywood movie starlet.
"When you’re disregarded as a human, this is what it’s like,” she is heard saying in the video footage that went viral. “I’m just trying to go to dinner, and I’ve asked these people several times to get away from me.”
She asked the photographers to stop “following” her and said that they were “completely disregarding all of my boundaries.” The quickly blew up, with even Boy George weighing in on the incident, and while some fans applauded Roan for standing up for herself, others said that this was the price of fame.
2. Drama with a pro soccer player's daughter
This is a wild one that somehow involves Jude Law, a major politician, and an 11-year-old little girl.
Roan came under fire when pro soccer player Jorginho Frello claimed that Roan sent her security guard to “threaten” his young stepdaughter — who also happens to be Jude Law’s daughter — after she walked by Roan’s table at a hotel restaurant and smiled at her.
While Roan has maintained her innocence, the little girl’s mother also made a video critical of Roan. Following the viral videos, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro said she would never perform there again.
After the controversy blew up, the security guard finally came forward to say that he takes “full responsibility for the interactions” and that it was not done on Roan’s “behalf.”
1. Iconic WMAs red carpet moment
Roan entered icon status when she clapped back at the paparazzi on the red carpet at the 2024 VMAs.
You know how you have those moments where, once a confrontation is over, you finally think of the perfect line you should have said? Well, not Roan! When she was told to “shut the f—k up” by a photographer, the “Red Wine Supernova” singer responded, “You shut the f—k up. Don’t! Not me, bitch.”
Roan may be embroiled in a new controversy every week, but we’re still rooting for the queer pop stars, so to Roan we say, “Good luck, babe!”
From left: Harry Potter actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, David Tennant, and Bonnie Wright.Fred Duval/Shutterstock; Ron Adar/Shutterstock; Eugene Powers/Shutterstock; DFree/Shutterstock
