Chappell Roan is under fire for not endorsing Kamala Harris—here's what really happened

Why are people on social media mad at Chappell Roan?

The day after the interview came out, @PopFlopHQ posted a truncated version of her comments, framing it as "Chappell Roan on why she hasn't endorsed Kamala Harris."

It didn't take long for people to come out and blast her for saying "there's problems on both sides" and declining to explicitly endorse Harris. Some even accused her of secretly being MAGA or not wanting to upset a portion of her fanbase, while others pointed out all of the ways in which the current Democrat and Republican parties differ.

Putting everything in context

If "there's problems on both sides" were the extent of Roan's comments on the current political state of the U.S., the criticisms lobbed at her would have some value. But cherry picking statements without looking at the larger context and other things Roan has said — even in the very interview in question — paints a blatantly inaccurate picture.

As the criticisms exploded on X, people who have been paying attention pointed out that Roan has been very explicit about at least one reason why she's critical of the current government — she's frustrated with the Democrats' stance on Palestine.

She previously shared that she had been invited to perform at the White House for Pride this year, something that would have been a big opportunity.

"In response to the White House who asked me to perform for Pride: we want liberty, justice and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come," she told fans at the Governors Ball Music Festival in June.

Later, Roan elaborated on her decision in conversation with Rolling Stone, explicitly tying it to Palestine and adding that she was particularly glad she turned the invitation down as a spokesperson for the White House subsequently made a remark about how minors shouldn't have access to gender-affirming surgery.

"It is not so black and white that you hate one and you like the other. No matter how you say it, people are still going to be pissed for fucking some reason. I’m not going to go to the White House because I am not going to be a monkey for Pride. And thank God I didn’t go because they just made a huge statement about trans kids a couple weeks ago," she said. "I’m pretty, 'Fuck the government, and fuck everything that’s going on right now.' I don’t have a side because I hate both sides, and I’m so embarrassed about everything going on right now."

It should be common sense that a person can grasp the importance of participating in the democratic system while not being in perfect alignment with the candidates. In fact, most engaged voters on both sides of the U.S. political spectrum probably feel this way. Criticizing the government is a good thing, actually, as is continuing to advocate for better solutions to issues you feel aren't being appropriately addressed by the politicians elected to represent citizens.

But social media has never been a place where common sense or nuance thrive.

What does Taylor Swift have to do with all of this?

Some Swifties have piled onto Roan for her comments while pointing to the recent uproar about Swift hanging out with alleged Donald Trump supporter Brittany Mahomes. If Swift can be criticized for that, their logic goes, Roan should be torched for this.

However, conflating the two is, quite frankly, absurd. At the time Swift was being criticized, she had not endorsed a candidate (she has since endorsed Harris), had not made any comments about the current election or related issues in some time, and had stayed silent when Trump used A.I. images to insinuated she had endorsed him. All of this after she made a documentary stressing that she had realized how important it was to use her voice to speak up about her politics and champion human rights.

In contrast, Roan has repeatedly made her stance on various issues extremely clear and had already encouraged people to get out and vote.

So what else has Chappell Roan said about voting?

In the same interview with Rolling Stone, Roan made it clear that she believes voting matters, and strongly insinuated she would be casting her vote for Harris.

"Right now, it’s more important than ever to use your vote, and I will do whatever it takes to protect people’s civil rights, especially the LGBTQ+ community," she said. "My ethics and values will always align with that, and that hasn’t changed with a different nominee. I feel lucky to be alive during an incredibly historical time period when a woman of color is a presidential nominee."

It's also worth pointing out that she encouraged people to vote in the interview that has kneejerk reactionaries so upset — it just wasn't part of what @PopFlopHQ pulled to stir up drama.

"I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote – vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city," Roan said, adding that the most important domestic issue to her in the upcoming election is "trans rights. They cannot have cis people making decisions for trans people, period."