Chappell Roan went against what her fans wanted her to do again when she refused to support Kamala Harris for president but did say she would be voting for her.
As the election deadline in the U.S. approaches, tensions are rising, and pop fans have been putting pressure on their favorite stars to support their chosen candidate. For example, Taylor Swift got a lot of negative feedback for remaining silent, but she eventually gave in to the pressure and posted heartfelt support for Kamala Harris on Instagram.
Swift fans got the endorsement they wanted from the hugely popular pop star, but Chappell Roan has refused to please her fans over and over again, which shows how high the demands and standards are of fame.
What Happened With Chappell Roan’s Support for Politics?
When Roan told The Guardian that she would not be supporting a political candidate, fans were upset. She said:
“I don’t like our government at all in any way.” I’d like to change a lot of things. So I don’t feel like I have to support someone. Everything is wrong on both sides. People should use their critical thinking skills and vote. When you vote, you should “vote small” and “vote for what’s going on in your city.”
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Roan made it clear in the same interview that she supports the LGBTQ community. She named trans rights as the most important change she wanted to see in the U.S. this election year.
It’s not okay for straight people to make decisions for trans people, she said.
Even though Roan’s thinking was pretty clear, the quote about “both sides” going viral was taken out of context from the interview and shared on many pop culture accounts.
Many fans and LGBTQ activists who were afraid of living in another Trump administration were very angry about the quote. They called Roan a “privileged” centrist who was safe because of her increased wealth and fame.
This is an excessively privileged position to take. We’re gonna win, VP Harris will be elected, and it’s because of the many thousands of staff and volunteers and tens of millions of reasonable adults who understand life under Trump (again) would be horrific for all of us. https://t.co/GzMyDWjxEI
— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) September 22, 2024
Chappell roan is an embarrassment to lesbians
— Maya Luna (@RealMayaLuna) September 22, 2024
You can't borrow from drag aesthetics and embrace your sexuality and then pretend the party that would criminalize our happiness is the same as the one who protects it. https://t.co/eHbbH2N9LS
Roan went on TikTok to explain why she did what she did and repeated the whole quote to make sure the meaning wasn’t lost in the noise. To encourage her fans to think critically, Roan said, “I want to be a part of a generation that changes things for good.”
At the end of her video, she made it clear that she wasn’t going to vote for Donald Trump and that she just wanted to question those in power. But the video seemed to make the reaction worse.
Every quote from Chappell Roan is what a shallow person thinks a deep person would say
— Jeremiah Johnson 🌐 (@JeremiahDJohns) September 23, 2024
the way chappell roan is just saying we need to hold politician’s accountable to higher standards and demand more from them instead of just accepting their actions and ppl are losing it like that’s not a completely common leftist take
— kenz (@sevreds) September 25, 2024
It’s weird that people read that Chappell Roan quote about the election and take it to mean that she’s an undecided centrist and not that every option available to her is too far right of where she stands as a woman and as an artist.
— Valerie Halla (@MsValerieHalla) September 23, 2024
This made Roan seem angry that her point wasn’t being understood, so she posted a second TikTok. Roan made it clear in the video that she didn’t agree with many of the left’s ideas about trans rights, Palestine, and “every marginalized community in the world.”
chappell roan is what happens when a talented, confident, outspoken woman gets extremely famous before the industry has a chance to beat her into submission and silence her suffering. and thank god for that, bc this is what all celebrities would say if they were honest about fame https://t.co/IjKvhMp3n4
— 𝄂𝄃𝄀𝄀𝄁𝄂𝄃𝄂 ⎕ (@tsleeplessnight) September 16, 2024
She stated, “I can not support some of the left’s completely transphobic and completely genocidal views.” Roan went on to say, “I’m not taking sides here.” That’s me asking questions of both sides because this is what we have.
Roan told her fans to vote for “whoever you think is the best option” and begged them not to “settle for what we have.”
Even though the backlash didn’t stop, Roan’s clarification started a heated argument about progressive ideals and how queer identity is used as a political tool.
We support you Chappell Roan pic.twitter.com/LmNgwY2MlP
— All Things Go (@AllThingsGo) September 27, 2024
The heated debate over a pop star’s political support shows how the relationship between fans and celebrities is changing. These days, fans want their favorite stars to do more than just be relatable; they want them to take political action too.
Chappell Roan has fought back against obsessive fans in the past.
Fans crossing lines is nothing new to Roan. The singer has been surprisingly honest about the bad sides of fame, talking about how it affects her mental health and fighting back against the entitlement of devoted fans.
Although a lot of celebrities try to build parasocial relationships with their fans to make it seem like they are close, Roan has been very honest with her fans and told them that they don’t know her at all; they only know her image.
In two trending TikTok videos from August, Roan told her most devoted fans, “I don’t care that abuse, harassment, stalking, or whatever else is normal to do to famous or somewhat famous people.” No matter how normal it is or how this crazy behavior is part of my job or business, I don’t care. It’s not okay because of that. This is not normal.
Later, Roan tells her friends that they don’t know her, even if they think they do.
She said, “It’s weird how some people think you know someone just because you see them online or listen to their music.” “That’s strange.” I can say no to creepy behavior, all right?”
Update: Chappell Roan has decided not to go to the “All Things Go” event after all. In a social media post, she told her friends she was sorry about the cancellation, writing:
I’m sorry to those who were looking forward to seeing me this weekend at All Things Go in NYC and DC, but I will not be able to do so. During the last few weeks, things have become too much for me to handle.
