Gilbert Flores/Billboard
Chappell Roan is addressing allegations regarding a distressing encounter at a São Paulo hotel that reportedly left the 11-year-old daughter of football star Jorginho in tears.
Following her performance at Lollapalooza Brazil on Saturday, March 21, the 28-year-old pop sensation took to her Instagram Story to clarify her perspective. The response follows a social media post by Jorginho, who claimed his daughter was “profoundly shaken” after a security guard allegedly confronted the child and her mother during breakfast, accusing them of “harassment” simply because the girl recognized the singer.
“I want to share my side of what occurred today involving a mother and child and a security guard—who, to be clear, is not part of my personal security detail,” Roan stated in a video shared Sunday morning.
The singer emphasized that she was completely unaware of the interaction as it was happening. “I didn’t even see them. No one approached me, and I wasn’t disturbed. I was just sitting at breakfast in the hotel where they were also staying,” she explained.
Roan expressed frustration over the guard’s preemptive behavior, noting, “I never asked anyone to intervene. It’s unfair for security to assume someone has bad intentions when they haven’t actually done anything. It makes me incredibly sad if they were made to feel uncomfortable. You didn’t deserve that.” She further dismissed claims of animosity toward her audience, adding, “I don’t hate my fans, and I definitely don’t hate children. That’s just absurd.”
In his original post, Jorginho detailed that his wife, Catherine Harding, and their daughter were at the restaurant when the child spotted Roan. He maintained that his daughter did not approach the singer or ask for anything, but was merely excited to see her. He alleged that the security guard’s “aggressive” confrontation and threats to report them to hotel management caused his daughter to break down.
This incident is the latest in a series of public conversations regarding Roan’s firm stance on personal boundaries. Earlier this month, she filmed her own encounter with aggressive autograph seekers in Paris who were ignoring her requests for space.
While the singer has faced criticism from industry veterans like Boy George—who recently urged her to “own her fame” and suggested that “boundaries are boring”—others have rallied to her side. Folk-rock artist Noah Kahan recently defended her on Instagram, highlighting the predatory nature of professional paparazzi. “These people aren’t fans,” Kahan noted. “They track your location just to guilt you into signing items they can sell later. People should just leave her alone.”
