Breakout pop star Chappell Roan has been criticized online after choosing not to endorse Kamala Harris for president. A misinterpretation of her words left the singer to clear things up, the singer took to her Tik Tok to clarify her stance.
“No, I’m not voting for Trump,” she said. She added that she “will always question those in power and those making decisions over other people.”
Celebrity endorsements are common for political candidates. This year alone, Harris has gotten names like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish to endorse her campaign. Roan chose not to endorse any candidate this election.
“Actions speak louder than words, and actions speak louder than endorsement,” she said.
Previously, the misunderstandings began when Roan was interviewed by the British newspaper, The Guardian, in which she said she has“many issues with our government in every way.” Roan felt no need to endorse, since she saw both sides having their own problems.
Online, Roan was criticized for being “politically neutral.”. She posted videos to her social media to clarify and said “It’s important for me to question authority, and question world leaders, and question myself. Question my algorithm.” She also questioned how the conversation was fruitful.
After posting the first video, the fire toward the star did not abate. So Roan posted another video.
In that one, she talked more about her dislike of policies on the right and some on the left [that] make her unable to put herself behind a candidate.
“There is no way I can stand behind some of the left’s completely transphobic and completely genocidal views,” Roan said.
“So yeah, I’m voting for (–) Kamala, but I’m not settling for what has been offered.”
Because she mispronounced the presidential candidate’s name, a clip surfaced of Roan teaching her own crowd how to pronounce her name properly.
Though the singer captioned her final post that she is “done talking about it,” people online were certainly not.
Said one TikTok user: Either agreeing or disagreeing, both sides were heavily arguing, especially on Tik Tok. “I think Chappell Roan did the worst thing you could do when starting a career in this type of industry.” Others agreed and said this might be the “rise and fall” of Roan, echoing the title of her album “The Rise and Fall of The Midwest Princess.” Others suggested leaving the singer alone, because Roan lacks “media literacy.” “Chappell Roan literally said what we’ve all been saying,” another user shared in a comment.
At one point, Roan canceled a concert and said on Instagram: “things have gotten overwhelming over the past few weeks and I am really feeling it.”
Tik Tok was not the only place where this situation would be talked about. On the Sept. 28 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” the sketch show included a segment portraying the viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng as Chappell Roan.
Bowen Yang, starring Moo Deng herself, dressed in a hippo suit as he spoke about how Moo Deng felt “overwhelmed by newfound fame and complaining about fan harassment.” Even as it became clear Moo Deng was portraying Roan, Yang made a mention to her in the skit and said“Leave her alone! Let her take as much time as she needs for her mental health. We both deserve patience and grace, so stop harassing her and stop throwing shellfish at her.”
