Chappell Roan made headlines this week after her security guard allegedly made a young fan cry, but a pop culture expert has told The Independent that it’s a sign of the times – as celebs “don’t feel as inclined to play the fame game” anymore.
The “Pink Pony Club” singer, footballer Jorginho and Jude Law’s 11-year-old daughter were three people you never would have expected to hear in the same sentence before Sunday, however they’ve found themselves at the centre of the age-old debate around celebrities and just how much they owe their fans.
Roan, who has been vocal about her boundaries with fans and paparazzi in the past, faced the wrath of Jorginho at the weekend after the former Chelsea and Arsenal player claimed that his stepdaughter had been left “in tears” by Roan’s security on Saturday (21 March).
Jorginho – who is married to singer Catherine Harding and is stepdad to her daughter with actor Jude Law – said that Roan’s security had a “completely disproportionate” and “extremely aggressive” reaction to the 11-year-old’s excitement over the singer being in their hotel during Brazil’s Lollapalooza music festival.
(Getty)
He claimed that after his stepdaughter spotted Roan at the hotel breakfast and smiled at her, a “large” security guard then spoke “in an extremely aggressive manner” to his wife and child. He added: “He even said he would file a complaint against them with the hotel, while my 11-year-old daughter was sitting there in tears. My daughter was extremely shaken and cried a lot.”
Roan – real name Kayleigh Rose Amstutz – addressed the incident on social media on Sunday, claiming that the security guard involved wasn’t her personal security and that she “didn’t even see” Harding and her daughter. “No one came up to me. No one bothered me. Like, I was just sitting at breakfast in my hotel,” she said.
“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 that someone was assuming something that you would do something, and that if he felt uncomfortable, it makes me really sad. You did not deserve that.”
However, the story has rumbled on in the days since, and revived discussions around just how accessible stars should be to their fans, when setting boundaries is becoming more common and arguably more needed than ever.
The 28-year-old’s rapid ascent to fame has been a turbulent one, with the singer continually emphasising her boundaries over the past few years. “I feel the most unsafe I have ever felt in my life,” she said in 2024, while earlier this month, Roan filmed herself confronting paparazzi and fans in Paris, saying in a social media video: “I’ve asked these people several times to get away from me.”
She’s not the only one. Robbie Williams admitted in April last year that he feels “discomfort” and “panic” when approached for photos by fans, while pop band MUNA called out “truly scary” behaviour by some of their fans – “cyberstalking, hackings, bullying other fans and our loved ones” – in an Instagram post the year before.
Robbie Williams has spoken out in the past about feeling “panic” when being approached by fans (AP)
Speaking about the changing relationship between fans and artists, music journalist and pop culture expert Michael Cragg told The Independent that many stars “don’t feel as inclined to play the fame game” in the same way as they did before.
“Fans have access to them via social media, which suggests an intimate connection but still also keeps them at arm’s length and in some ways contained,” he said. “However, that online world also takes a huge toll on celebrities via waves and waves of occasionally hateful, and often entitled, comments that are then written up into news stories.
“Fans have become emboldened by years on the internet, and are starting to feel like they are responsible for someone’s success and therefore are entitled to ‘in real life’ access at all times. The celebrities, however, are learning that part of protecting their mental health means setting boundaries and trying to create a sense of being ‘on’ and ‘off’ duty. “
As for why this is happening, the introduction of the internet and ever-evolving world of technology can take some of the blame.
“I think camera phones have really changed the game – being asked for an autograph is one thing, but often you see fans now not really even talking to the stars, but rather just demanding selfies or taking covert photos of someone having dinner,” said Cragg, whose Kylie Minogue biography, Can’t Get You Out of My Head, is out in September. “It can feel like being hounded, I’d imagine.”
Britney Spears has struggled with boundaries around fans and the press throughout her career
While many would argue that enthusiastic fans and press attention come with the territory of being an international celebrity, the public attitude to the intense scrutiny faced by those in the spotlight has become more sympathetic in recent years. Stars of the Nineties and Noughties bore the brunt of this extreme exposure, including Britney Spears – who said in her recent memoir that shaving her hair off in front of paparazzi in 2007 was her way of “pushing back” against the pressure.
“Celebrity comes with a certain amount of intrusion. That’s the way these things go, but also we’re learning via people like Britney that things can go too far,” Cragg said.
“If you can establish boundaries with your fanbase from the outset then oftentimes they’ll understand and even protect you when it comes to paps, or newer fans stepping over the line. It’s just how you go about setting up those boundaries.”
While Roan has faced some backlash for comments regarding fans in recent years, setting boundaries won’t necessarily harm the careers of the artists setting them.
“You can’t upset your fanbase because ultimately they did put you in that position and still hold a lot of power,” Cragg added. “But I do also think that a lot of fans are much more fame literate than they used to be and they get that people are human beings and that they aren’t always ‘on’ and need space.”