Chappell Roan Breaks Down Over Online Backlash
Chappell Roan's had a big year—music blowing up, red carpets, headlines. But with the spotlight came a wave of backlash, and now she's opening up about how deeply it's gotten to her.
In a new Interview Magazine chat with SZA, Roan got brutally honest about the toll online hate has taken. What hurts most, she says, isn't criticism of her music—it's the personal stuff.
"People started hating me for me and not for my art," she said. "When it's not about my art anymore, it's like, ‘They hate me because I'm Kayleigh, not because they hate the songs that I make.' That's when it changed."
It's not the first time she's faced backlash for being outspoken. Last October, she made headlines for calling out a red carpet photographer mid-event. That moment, and others since, sparked a pile-on from critics who seemed more interested in her personality than her work.
"When things are taken out of context, people assume so much about you," she said. "I didn't realize I'd care so much. When it comes to my art, I'm like, ‘Bitch, you can think whatever you want. You are allowed to hate it with all your guts.'"
But personal attacks hit different.
"When it comes to me and my personality, it's like, ‘Damn. Am I the most insufferable bitch of our generation?' It makes me cry. I don't know if it will ever feel okay to hear someone say something really hateful about me."
At 27, Roan's learning the hard way that being unapologetically yourself in public comes with a price—and she's still figuring out how to carry that weight.