Back in 2024, in the midst of her explosive breakthrough, Chappell Roan issued an extensive statement setting strict parameters around how she is willing to engage with her newfound fame and celebrity. When she’s on stage, performing, in drag, or doing press, she said, she’s at work. “Any other circumstance, I am not in work mode,” Roan wrote. “I am clocked out.”
The message was meant to set boundaries with overzealous fans and spectators who feel entitled to her space or attention. “I embrace the success of the project, the love I feel, and the gratitude I have,” she continued. “What I do not accept are creepy people, being touched, and being followed.” That same year, Roan hired security because of a stalker, and even then, she told Rolling Stone, she found the necessity “so lame.”
But since then, Roan has been characterized as an abrasive, difficult, and bratty pop star by critics. A number of stars, including Noah Kahan and Doja Cat, came to her defense earlier this month after the singer clashed with paparazzi and autograph scalpers in Paris. Kahan noted that these interactions play a part in warping the perception of an artist’s intention “into thinking that someone is being rude to their fans when really they’re just manipulating you.” And while this may seem inconsequential, it’s the exact reason why Roan’s latest boundary-setting debacle escalated into a conflicting series of he-said-she-said videos and statements. Here’s the whole saga explained.
What Happened
Last week, professional Brazilian soccer player Jorginho accused Roan of sending her security guard to confront his wife, Catherine Harding, and 11-year-old stepdaughter during breakfast at a São Paulo hotel. He claims the stepdaughter, whose father is the actor Jude Law, walked past Roan’s table to confirm it was her, smiled, and went back to her seat. “She didn’t say anything, didn’t ask for anything,” he said. The statement alleged that “a large security guard” then approached the table “in an extremely aggressive manner” to tell his wife that she “shouldn’t allow my daughter to ‘disrespect’ or ‘harass’ other people.” According to him, his stepdaughter was left in tears.
Chappell Weighs In
The story quickly picked up steam. Some users online felt vindicated, citing the encounter as further proof that Roan isn’t built for pop stardom. Others insisted it must have been some kind of misunderstanding. Meanwhile, Roan didn’t know what anyone was talking about. “I’m just gonna tell my half of the story of what happened today with a mother and child who were involved with a security guard who is not my personal security,” she said in an Instagram video published the day after Jorginho made his claim. “I didn’t even see a woman and a child, like no one came up to me, no one bothered me.”
Roan also pushed back against the part of the athlete’s statement that addressed her directly. “Without your fans, you would be nothing,” he told her. “And to the fans, she doesn’t deserve your affection.” Roan stated plainly, “I do not hate people who are fans of my music. I do not hate children.” She also issued an apology to the child and her mother. Though she maintained that she did not instruct the security guard involved to confront them, she felt bad “that someone was assuming something, that you would do something.” She added, “If you felt uncomfortable, that makes me really sad. You did not deserve that.”
The Mom Speaks Up
The apology didn’t completely stomp out the fire. Harding issued her own statement a few hours after Roan. “I didn’t realize it would get this crazy,” she said. She acknowledged that the singer clarified that it wasn’t her personal security guard who approached their table, but she stated, “100 percent, this security guard was not a security guard of the hotel … I don’t know if he was her personal security guard, but he was with her. That is all I know. Did she send him to do it? Again, I don’t know.”
Still, Harding left some accountability with Roan. “I think that you have a responsibility when you are a celebrity to make sure, I guess, that the people who work for you and that act on your behalf are acting on your behalf,” she said. “Would he do that if he didn’t have her authority to do so? I don’t know. If he does, then, obviously, that’s a big problem because then he’s representing her in a way that she doesn’t want to be represented.” Harding added that whether or not Roan sent the “intimidating” security guard over, she maintains that he “overstepped a boundary.”
The Security Guard Shares His Side
The last person to weigh in, nearly a week later, was the security guard in question. “I do not normally address online rumors, but the accusations currently circulating are false and constitute defamation,” Pascal Duvier said in a statement. “I take full responsibility for the interactions on March 21st. I was at the hotel on behalf of another individual, and I was not part of the personal security team of Chappell Roan. The actions I took were not on behalf of Chappell Roan, her personal security team, her management, or any other individuals.”
Duvier disputed Harding’s account, saying, “My sole interaction with the mother was calm and with good intentions, and the outcome of the encounter is regretful.” He claimed he was acting “based on information we obtained from the hotel, events I had witnessed in the days prior and the heightened overall security risk of our location,” all of which were separate from Roan.
Duvier was previously employed as security for Kim Kardashian. In 2018, he and his security and protection company Protect Security were named in a $6.1 million lawsuit filed by the reality star’s insurance company. American International Group claimed Duvier and Protect Security “negligently, carelessly, and/or recklessly performed their protection, security, monitoring, inspection, and/or surveying of” Kardashian when she was robbed at gunpoint at the No Address Hotel during Paris Fashion Week in 2016. All parties settled the suit in 2020.
