Breakout music star Chappell Roan explained why she tore into a photographer who yelled "Shut the f'k up" on the red carpet at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards.
The 26-year-old "HOT TO GO!" singer made quite a memorable impression, to say the least, on Wednesday night.
Evoking Joan of Arc, Roan kept up with her medieval knight theme throughout the evening wearing a chainmail hood and armor.
She conquered the Best New Artist award category, slayed her VMA debut performance of "Good Luck, Babe!"—and fiercely defended herself on the red carpet when someone worked her last nerve.
Before rapper Eminem kicked off the show with his rousing performance of his latest single "Houdini, " Roan made a dramatic entrance on the red carpet, cloaked and with a sword, accompanied by an armored knight who rolled out an antique rug for her to stand on as photographers shouted instructions to pose.
In one of several social media clips, an off-camera voice yelled "Shut the f'k up!"
It was unclear if the comment was directed at the singer or someone else.
But the viral moment came when cameras captured Roan responding to the outburst by firing back:
"You shut the f'k up!"
She paused as an assistant fixed her dress but swiveled back toward the paparazzo and added:
"No, not me, b*tch!"
The clip ended with someone responding to the reprimand with, "You tell him, girl!"
Viewers were initially confused by the fiery exchange as the video lacked context, but a video from a different perspective obtained by Metro painted a clearer picture.
In the new clip, the photographer was heard saying, “I’m not going to shut the f'k up, she missed her spot," suggesting that Roan missed a specific mark for photographers to take ideal shots.
That remark prompted Roan to berate the photographer after taking her pause. The photographer was about to raise another stink about the inconvenience, starting with, "Your publicist..." but was cut off by Roan a final time.
You can watch that clip, here.
Roan later explained to Entertainment Weekly what exactly went down, and her reason stemmed from red carpet anxiety.
"This is quite overwhelming and quite scary," she said, referring to all the media frenzy at major award ceremonies.
She continued:
"I think for someone who gets a lot of anxiety around people yelling at you, the carpet is horrifying."
"I yelled back. You don't yell at me."
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Fans agreed with her statement.
"She is absolutely right," said DarkGa, a user on X (formerly Twitter).
They continued:
"And by the way for anyone who claims she hates her fans, you clearly don’t understand the point she’s making here."
"She’s new to the pop scene, yes she maybe successful on her debut but this doesn’t mean fans should be in her personal space all the damn time."
Social media users continued weighing in with their thoughts.
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@etnow/X
The outspoken singer previously penned a powerful statement calling out fans for "predatory behavior".
She explained having to set boundaries after constantly facing varying forms of harassment since her ascension to stardom.
"I chose this career path because I love music and art and honoring my inner child, I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it.” she wrote.
To those who questioned why she chose a career where she "wouldn’t be comfortable with the outcome of success," she asserted that she does "embrace the success of the project, the love I feel, and the gratitude I have."
However, Roan maintained she doesn't accept "creepy people, being touched, and being followed."
She concluded the lengthy post with:
"I’m not afraid of the consequences for demanding respect. Just to let you know, every woman is feeling or has felt similar to what I’m experiencing. This isn’t a new situation."
"If you see me as a b*tch or ungrateful or my entire statement upsets you, baby that’s you… you gotta look inward and ask yourself 'wait why am I so upset by this? Why is a girl expressing her fears and boundaries so infuriating?'”
After the red carpet standoff and the VMAs were underway, Roan was back in her element and seemed to take her aggressions out when she literally set the stage on fire with her epic performance of "Good Luck, Babe!"
- YouTubeyoutu.be
The native of Willard, Missouri, who owes much of her success to drag queens who've embraced her '80s-inspired synth-pop, was also humbled by winning the Best New Artist award and dedicated the Moon Man statue to all the drag queens and trans people "who fuel the pop."
She additionally dedicated the award "to the gays, who dedicate my songs to someone they love or hate … for all the queer kids in the midwest watching right now, I see you."
"I understand you, because I am one of you," she added, in front of her new A-lister music peers and fans cheering her on.
