Chappell Roan confronted a photographer while making her entrance at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) on Wednesday night.
As she was walking the black carpet at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, the singer-songwriter – real name Kayleigh Amstutz – was filmed clapping back at an unknown person.
In a video circulating on social media, someone appeared to tell Chappell to “shut the f**k up” while she was facing away from the photographers so she could straighten her black Gothic-style gown.
She then yelled, “You shut the f**k up! Don’t. Not me, b**ch!”
Later, Chappell admitting she found walking into the awards ceremony to be overwhelming.
“It’s quite overwhelming and quite scary. I think for someone who gets a lot of anxiety around people yelling at you… the carpet is horrifying,” the 26-year-old explained to a reporter from Entertainment Tonight. “And I need to – I yelled back. I yelled back! You don’t get to yell at me like that!”
In recent months, Chappell has been open about her desire to set boundaries with fans to protect her privacy and mental health amid her rise to fame.
Elsewhere at the MTV VMAs, the star performed Good Luck, Babe! while lighting a castle backdrop on fire with a crossbow.
She also took home the Best New Artist prize during the ceremony, and as part of her speech, dedicated the win to her supporters in the LGBTQ+ community.
“Can you believe it? We’re at the VMAs!” she cheered, before reading from her journal. “I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspire me, and I dedicate this to queer and trans people who fuel pop. To the gays, who dedicate my songs to someone they love or hate, (and) for all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now, I see you. I understand you, because I am one of you.”
The Pink Pony Club hitmaker concluded with a smirk: “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t be exactly who you want to be, b**ch!”
