Jewel has spoken out in support of Chappell Roan amid concerns over invasive fan behaviour.
Last month, the Pink Pony Club star – real name Kayleigh Amstutz – took to TikTok to share a lengthy message in which she called out people who think they have the right to harass and stalk her just because she is in the public eye.
Taking to TikTok over the weekend, Jewel shared her own experiences with overzealous fans.
“I am weighing in on Chappell Roan, the drama of it all,” she began. “I saw that she had to turn off her comments because of her recent post just saying being stalked and having people grab you in public isn’t OK as a celebrity. It’s really interesting, a lot of the comments are people saying: ‘You shouldn’t have chosen your job then.'”
Jewel went on to recall how her hair turned grey “overnight” amid her first encounter with a “scary” stalker when she was 21. She also noted that she has dealt with “hundreds” of stalkers over the course of her career and it made her “step back” from the music industry.
“I learned with time that I could talk to my fans and say, ‘You can’t come within six feet of me.’ I was in Beverly Hills a couple of weeks ago. A fan, to this day, put their hand out to show me a safe gesture, only came six feet from me, and said, ‘I just want to tell you how much I love your music.’ That was so nice! It made me feel so safe! I could choose to take a picture safely,” the 50-year-old continued.
To conclude, Jewel went on to emphasise the importance of giving people space, no matter what their status.
“So, Chappell, full support. I’m glad people are talking about it. It’s something people typically just haven’t talked about. I’m proud of what you’re doing. And everybody, I hope you all know that everybody is worthy of compassion. Even if you’re rich. Even if you’re famous. We must show, if that’s a value of ours, to have compassion. To be tolerant, we have to be willing to understand the joys and the struggles of other people’s lives,” she added.
Previously, Paramore’s Hayley Williams also thanked Chappell for asking fans to be respectful of personal space.
“This happens to every woman I know from this business, myself included. Social media has made this worse. I’m really thankful Chappell is willing to address it in a real way, in real time. It’s brave and unfortunately necessary,” she commented on her Instagram Stories.
