Chappell Roan was recently profiled by Rolling Stone, and I personally thought she came across as very immature overall, and quite uninformed about politics. She heavily implied that President Biden would come after her and her family for speaking about Palestine, she spoke lovingly about her Republican family and she refused to endorse any candidate. Then, a few days ago, she spoke to the Guardian and this section got a lot of attention:
…And even though Kamala Harris used her deliriously goofy Femininomenon in a campaign video (“What we really need is a femininomenon!”) and seemingly copied the design of an official Roan baseball cap, Roan hasn’t endorsed her. And, in June, while dressed as Lady Liberty, Roan told the crowd at Governor’s Ball festival in New York that she had declined an invitation to perform at a White House Pride event: “We want liberty, justice and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”
“I have so many issues with our government in every way,” she says. “There are so many things that I would want to change. So I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides. I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote – vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city.” The change she wants to see in the US in this election year, she says instantly, is “trans rights. They cannot have cis people making decisions for trans people, period.”
I cannot even adequately put into words the contempt I have for people saying “There’s problems on both sides.” If you, like Roan, consider trans rights the most important issue of this election and YOU STILL WON’T VOTE FOR HARRIS-WALZ, then you’re just an attention-seeking a–hole. Well, people have been talking sh-t about Roan all week, and now she’s made a new TikTok about all of this:
Chappell Roan explains her political beliefs in a new TikTok video, offering clarification on what she meant in previous statements. pic.twitter.com/auoFuOpohe
— Pop Flop (@PopFlopHQ) September 25, 2024
All of what she says about critical thinking reminds me so heavily of the “do your own research” anti-vaxxer talking points. Like, that whole section really resonated with Aaron Rodgers. “Actions speak louder than words and actions speak louder than an endorsement.” I never thought I’d say this, but damn, Taylor Swift endorsing the Harris-Walz ticket really was a profile in courage, right? Taylor’s endorsement was thoughtful and mature, even more so when confronted with a wannabe LGBTQ advocate who thinks “both sides” have problems. And: “Hear it from my mouth, no, I’m not voting for Trump and yes, I will always question those in power and those making decisions over other people.” Another Jill Stein voter.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- ELMONT, NEW YORK, USA – SEPTEMBER 11: Chappell Roan wearing Y/Project arrives at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards held at UBS Arena on September 11, 2024 in Elmont, New York, United States.,Image: 907000221, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Chappell Roan, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- Chappell Roan performs at Manchester Academy, Manchester, England, 13th September 2024.,Image: 907421006, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Editorial Use Only, Model Release: no, Credit line: Mike Gray / Avalon
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- Chappell Roan performs at Manchester Academy, Manchester, England, 13th September 2024.,Image: 907421179, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Editorial Use Only, Model Release: no, Credit line: Mike Gray / Avalon
I’m glad I haven’t heard a lyric of her music because this young lady is a waste of my time. I cannot with the I’m white before anything celebrities. President Biden AND MVP Harris OPENLY embraces the Trans community, inviting them into the People House (the White House) to let them know that they fight for them. President Biden pushed for gay marriage! Governor Andy in Kentucky outlaws’ conversion therapy in that state. You have the first openly gay Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in the Biden administration and this simp is telling folks both sides are the same. No. They. Are. Not. What a fucking failure.
I have not heard a single song from her but I have heard way too many opinions from her. At this rate her career will be very short lived. She seems very much an American version of Lily Allen.
Pink Pony Club is transcendent and worth your time. Everything else is… fine. Pink Pony Club was the first song of hers I ever listened to, and I thought “oh my god, I get the hype!” Then I listened to the rest of the album and revised my thoughts to “…nevermind. PPC is still on the eternal playlist, though.”
I sure wish I could upvote some of the comments here!
god, chappell roan is beyond tedious. Her gaping ignorance while having any degree of influence make her a force for harm, too.
I’m not her audience and only became more aware of her when she came to Chicago and packed Lollapallooza. I’m hoping she’ll go away as quickly as she burst onto the scene so big.
Agreed!
When I read this quote in the Guardian – “Obviously fuck the policies of the right,” she said, while also castigating what she called “some of the left’s completely transphobic and completely genocidal views” – all I could think was WTF is she talking about!?
It’s regurgitated 80s pop. I could tell immediately it was an age thing because I turned it on and went, “oh, this sounds like 80s hits lol.”
Until I saw this article I had never heard of her. Sounds like I wasn’t missing much.
Her eyes rolled up in a whole different direction when she said “whai I stand for”
Yep… she’s voting for a third party candidate for sure… zero respect for this woman. Reproductive rights and safety aren’t going to happen when voting 3rd party and letting the N*zi win.
Especially if she’s voting for Jill Stein who already blew up one presidential election in 2016. Candidates who just tell you everything you want to hear might have ulterior motives. She’s old enough that she should understand that.
This comment helped me realize that I haven’t heard much about what Jill Stein’s platform. She’s a 3rd party candidate offering what? I cannot with the performative wanna be intellectuals.
@Tired, Jill Stein doesn’t have a platform, she’s just the anti-Democrat.
Not only does she not have a platform, she only appears every 4 years. The rest of the time – crickets.
In the off years, she’s dining with Putin. 😏
A vote for a third party IS a vote for the nazi. She’s a whiny, privileged, uneducated child who is pretending to hold complicated political beliefs.
What she “stands for” is wilful ignorance and she doesn’t care who dies for her little stunt.
She’s voting for Kamala, she states it in her tiktok
I never thought that she was a Trump supporter or Republican. I thought that she was naively stupid for her age. I wouldn’t mind a teenager rambling about like that. But, when you are 26, I expect you to see one side is Nazis, other side is normal functioning party. At some point, you realize you may not 100% agree with a political party’s platform to endorse them. However, if the other side wins, there won’t be a democratic government you can lobby for things you want to happen. Olivia is much younger than her, but she can clearly see that.
Also, if you went to the White House, you could personally talk to the freaking President of the United States about what you want the government to do. Biden & Kamala would listen to you, Trump and the weird couch guy won’t.
I hate it when I find out that an artist I like is dumb dumb.
So she’s just young and stupid but she’s only a few years younger than Taylor who you flamed for not endorsing on your time table and not causing problems at her boyfriend’s job? So why don’t you have that energy for someone who is going out of their way to hurt Harris?
@Sarah, lol. ok, I bite. Chappell didn’t make a whole doc about how she is unmuzzling herself politically, then a whole song to encourage young people (“Only the Young”) to do the same, then made cookies endorsing Biden & Kamala and turned an album cycle into “politically outspoken” popstar. Taylor did all that for Lover era (you already know that, right?). Also, Republicans (and some white supremacists) don’t assume Chappell as one of them, they also didn’t call her “Aryan goddess” for years until she said “racism is bad” (RS interview). When you turn an album cycle into that and make lots of money on that, yes I expect you to speak up again when there is no money to be made.
Also, probably I don’t need to remind you, but Taylor has been famous for a long long time with very smart and business oriented parents guiding her. Chappell doesn’t have that, her rise to fame was very sudden and she spoke about she was having hard time dealing with it. She IS young and stupid. If she shows an indication that she is calculating for the loss of profits in case of an endorsement, I would look for more nefarious reasons. I doubt she is having a meeting with her team (old, white men) telling her she is gonna lose half of her audience.
Chappell Roan is the biggest Gen Z artist out there right now (and she is talented tbf). On The Guardian profile it explains how she donated proceeds of her concert to an LGBTQIA charity plus she sells lithographs at her show and the proceeds go to victims in Gaza, which her Gen Z audience and even I appreciate. However she needs to understand that politics isn’t a luxury many of us (esp poc) can opt out of. I get she finds flaws with the DNC nominee and here’s a newsflash you don’t have to love the nominee to vote for them. In fact many people don’t “stan” or love Kamala/Tim (or even Biden when he was on the ticket) but are voting for them b/c out of what’s on the ballot it IS the responsible choice. Not voting for the DNC candidate b/c of the 2 party system is not an excuse. Chappell could have mentioned the trans bills currently on the ballot that are local and national but I have a feeling she too doesn’t do her homework otherwise she would’ve name checked them. She’s just another Gen Z privileged white young woman who wants the fame but without the responsibility that comes with it.
She reminds me of Jolie before she truly grew up. I love Angelina now, but she was insufferable before she started working on international causes and saw real suffering. It made her understand. I hope that Roan grows the fcuk up.
Jolie still does both sides bullshit and I don’t believe has endorsed a Dem for president.
Most of these celebrities who do both sides are stupid as dirt or closet Republicans.
All of this. I do not love the Democratic Party by any stretch. I’m an independent who believes that both parties are to beholden to special interests. I do believe there is corruption on both sides of the political aisle, although far more on the Republican side.
But there is no way I am voting for anyone but Harris-Walz. You can both sides it all day, but in the end there is clearly only one choice.
So no, I don’t blame her (or any young person) for feeling disillusioned with politics. I don’t blame her for being enraged at how Biden’s administration has handled Gaza. But I do blame her for not endorsing Harris as the clear choice. It’s just unreal to think that anyone would vote otherwise, given how much is on the line.
Just another pouty child who is too willfully ignorant to begin to understand how the government works. She thinks it’s some kind of flex to be so “principled” that she can’t choose a side. If the orange turd wins in November, it will be because of people like her, and she will richly deserve the lesson she learns.
I have no idea who this woman is, but see her views on politics everywhere on socials as well.
Sick of the “both sides” rhetoric.
There is a very clear and huge difference.
What a disappointment. Her music is really good. It’s like when Eric Clapton came out as MAGA.
Kaiser hit the nail on its head: she is music’s Aaron Rodgers. Dumb as a door nail. Another “Independent” who is actually an easily lead follower.
So she’s voting for Jill Stein. What a POS she is. Also I loved that she started getting dragged on Twitter since MO killed an innocent man. Her and her family members voted for those GOP POS that allowed that mess to happen. It seemed to have gotten more people in MO ticked off, so hopefully they vote no on the two judges that allowed that to happen and don’t vote for Parsons 2.0.
I think that Kaiser was saying that she is likely a third-party voter, like someone who’d vote for Jill Stein. Roan doesn’t say that in the TikTok. She just both-sides everything whick also suggests to me that she will vote third party. She is musical Aaron Rodgers.
Bothsidesism and the media sane washing Trump will be the things that kill us if we don’t fight like hell.
This elections Susan Sarandon. It’s hard to have patience with these types considering what’s at stake.
I hope that culturally we are smart enough to recognize her and her stupid message for what it is: a vote for Trump.
Me? I already voted for Harris Walz and a straight blue ticket.
I voted blue yesterday! 💙💙💙💙💙
October 15th is my earliest voting day in my exurbs county in GA. And yes, I will be there with my mom as soon as it freaking opens. Will I hide my dad’s mail-in ballot when I visit? Maybe? No, I kid. I will not commit a felony. But I will be quoting JD Vance and trump and asking how he can stab me in the heart for voting for either of them before he sends it in. So who knows? Partner and friends are Harris so it’s just the fam that I’m working on. A few are lost causes🙄😢🤬
I’m still pissed at Susan Sarandon. Her both sides BS was infuriating, and I forget the exact wording, but she said something like maybe we needed a trump administration to shake people up, or something like that.
Lady, people have DIED because of trump and his policies. Women and girls are suffering and dying because of his actions.
She actually said that Trump would bring the revolution. Of course, she will be fine even in a revolution. But what privileged, entitled bull 💩. All Trump brought was a violent insurrection to overturn a free and fair election. Sarandon has been quiet lately. She owes the world an apology but I’m not holding my breath.
That’s what it was, thank you. To which everyone right pointed out what you just did – she’s unaffected no matter what, protected by her wealth and privilege.
I know her well. Her type. She’s white. Surrounded by republican family. I was there, only early 20s and immature. And thinking my orbital elders knew more until I didn’t. It isn’t until you shut your mouth and listen to others, many many others in order to know how they feel, how their life is and has always been, what their fears are and what makes them happy. All I have to do at my age is look at crowds lmao, leaving the sound off. I’m so grounded in my beliefs now and am so proud about how I got here. Frak off with the both sides thing. We’re far past that.
I learned yesterday this young woman’s name is pronounced like Chapel. I’ve been reading it like Chapelle, like Dave Chapelle. I’ve never heard anyone say her name out loud as of yet, and apparently she’s an It Girl, so I’m officially old. I haven’t heard her music but all these moronic interviews don’t make me want to tune in.
Okay I saw that on a tweet too. Learned it was pronounced chapel rather than like Dave chapelle. And I was shook😂
I was thinking about her this morning. How talented she is and how great her music is. Even with this clarification though, it feels like she is either being willfully ignorant or… is not very smart. When the choice is between an administration who over and over again wants to take away rights for people like her, and one who promises to stand up for those rights… using critical thinking means… voting for Harris-Walz. Truly, there’s not a choice in this election. She can be mad about the issue in Gaza and that’s valid, but it’s also SUPER CLEAR that Trump is going to support Israel to the detriment of any Palestinian. Of those two choices, still, there’s not a lot of critical thinking that you can do to come to a different decision.
She does feel like the anti-vax, RFK-supporting, think they’re so smart for being anti-establishment people who are actually operating out of privilege that many don’t have.
I think she doesn’t know what to do with this massive fame she’s suddenly gotten. I hope she gets some wise counsel on navigating the media. And perhaps, maybe she should listen to some smart people who are hopefully in her orbit.
I am so very tired of some celeb informing me of the voting decision. Not a one of these wealthy, privileged, corrupt people should have any influence on any of us.
Like I said in my comment on an earlier post about her – she’s white, first and foremost. Ahead of her being queer. She can afford not to vote for the party that is actually fighting against the party that seeks to destroy democracy. If the felon wins (the race is tight and the republicans continue to do everything to derail the system in their favor), there would be no more fighting for any right, womens’, trans, etc. If she cannot see this, she does not know what critical thinking means, much less practice it. Again, I agree with @Kaiser, she is a member of the Aaron Rodgers critical thinking league.
JD and Trump have recently said they will deport LEGAL immigrants, Lindsey Graham is openly talking about a National 16 week abortion ban.
I also have such deep contempt for people who are willing to let that happen so they can claim moral superiority.
I just don’t understand why it’s so hard to figure out that one side or the other is going to win. A third party vote is a wasted vote. And for the people critical of how the dems are handling Israel, do they seriously think that republicans are going to somehow be better for palestine?? Or any of the the things they think dems aren’t doing enough on?? It just boggles my mind that there could be any question
People need to start applying basic logic to their votes. You may not like that it’s truly a binary system, you may technically have third party voting options, but in practical reality we have a binary, two-party system. Refusing to vote for what you consider to be the lesser of two evils functions directly as a vote for the greater of two evils. It’s one less vote that TFG needs to win.
And to your point about Palestine – this FRIES me. All these Gen Zers can have strong feelings about it and be single-issue voters, but at least be an informed single-issue voter. All I hear is that they are mad at the Democratic party for not doing enough, and not a single peep on why Republicans would be better. And yet they are threatening en masse to get the Republicans in power.
They are the same people who think politics is only important every 4 years and ignore it the rest of the time.
she is so talented – but likely not smart enough to last in this business. Good luck babe!
She’s very talented but this is a mess she walked straight into. The full Guardian quote seems to imply she’s voting for Harris, but the TikTok doesn’t say that because… she’s afraid of alienating her fans?? Taylor also encouraged people to do their own research in her endorsement, but in context the clear implication was that research would lead to voting Democratic. Chappell could have just said something about her primary issue as a voter being trans rights and shut up.
I’ve seen people online trying to claim her comments about Biden going after her refer to professional consequences, but she said at the time she didn’t go to the White House because of Gaza, and experienced zero professional consequences because she’s red-hot right now. So she just sounds like a head case.
I’m just so confused. She’s wholeheartedly for trans-rights but can’t vote for the party that would actually champion them. Bc the republicans are about bathroom bills and worse. Seriously wtf. Omg, I just don’t get it. And yes, respect to Taylor.
Yeah now I feel super bad criticizing Taylor after seeing this one’s constant word salads. It’s fine to have strong diverging beliefs but she doesn’t even know what she wants to say.
Count me amongst the confused here. How can she say “They cannot have cis people making decisions for trans people, period” and then imply both sides are equally problematic.
There is a small fleck of wisdom in there that I will acknowledge, the govt doesn’t represent the people it governs. It’s still far too many old white guys making decisions for everyone. Sure, plenty of those old white guys stand up for the right things, but a whole lot more diversity would go a long way. Maybe if there had always been plenty of women in the govt, women’s rights wouldn’t be in the peril that they are now.
We are seeing change. Change is slow, but we see it. Kamala running shows that.
But until the govt is truly diverse, maybe at least get behind the party that is trying. I’d rather Kamala get in and sit behind her desk in the oval office and do NOTHING* for 4 years than have Trump in there signing off on all kinds of atrocities.
*not that I think Kamala will do nothing. Quite the contrary, but more just to illustrate that this election matters so much because it really is about at the very least stopping him from doing horrible things
Yeah, I hear you @turtledove. Can I get frustrated with the Democratic Party and would love to tailor make a candidate that is perfect for me? Sure. But I get how this works and it’s not getting the perfect candidate like you said @c about diverging beliefs. Although, I personally really like KH. Factually, the Democratic Party is less transphobic than republicans and their policies show that. Like that’s not even super hard? Or maybe it is now for the youth apparently. The thing bothering me is that it’s very possible her both sides word salad with misinformation in it will mean that there are some young people who might sit out and just not vote. This is freaking dangerous. And if u care about trans rights, you gotta be paying attention to the SC, and the presidents who nominate them!!!, and the policies they’ll create on the federal level and then how the republicans are enacting policy on the local level. Listen, I’m just freaked out about November and I don’t have patience for this.
Well, I like one thing she said, which is to get informed and involved in local politics. That is important. The rest is garbage.
My daughter who is Gen Z loves her music. She was very disappointed about her statements. There are a lot of people in her broader circle (not her close friends or partner) with a similar mindset, and she has been trying to make them see common sense for almost a year now. She’s well informed and quite good at stating her case, but it’s been an uphill battle. A lot of them are just blinkered.
I’m a little confused by what Roan said about Trans people, that Cis people shouldn’t be making decisions or policies for them? Of course no one should be making a decision about someone else’s body. But plenty of Cis people are allies. Biden is an ally. I watched Beshear being interviewed last night, and he spoke very eloquently about banning conversion therapy. It’s the same with abortion. If a male politician has a solid record of protecting reproductive rights, then I will trust him to make policy on it. He doesn’t have to have a uterus to be on my side.
She actually said she was voting for Kamala and not third party but go off.
Pretty obvious she caved. The tiktok above was posted on Tuesday. On Wednesday she posted another video saying that she will be voting for Kamala but no endorsing her. Her further explaining why just shows further and clearly how misinformed she is – the left is transphobic? She is associating Kamala with the left? She should really take time to educate herself.
This is again like the republicans on the felon. Felon spouts blah-blah-blah, then republicans explain after. She could have just avoided all these if she just recommended people to vote and she would like to keep her vote private. But she had to both sides stuff and explain then explain again.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/25/politics/chappell-roan-kamala-harris/index.html
If she flipped or caved because of informed people putting pressure on her, I’m ok with that. This election is too important.
Her publicist did a good job then. “I”m voting for Kamala but not settling” is exactly the right take for young people. Stay involved and keep paying attention.
For the record, I am glad, too. In fact, the initial backlash (re:Guardian article), came from the LGBTQ+ community, and her other thinking fans. That is why she was forced to do that ‘I will not vote for Trump’ video. But again, she was still both-sidesing. So, still more backlash. That is why she is now forced to say (obviously she’s not happy about it as can be seen in the video) she will vote for Kamala. What is consistent though, aside from the both-sidesing, she accuses everyone of reacting to click-bait, she was taken out of context and people not understanding the nuance or her. Instead of just owning up as to why her statements were being criticized.
I guess the lesson here is that backlash works – words have consequences. She said what she said and people reacted.
Right? Nowhere have I heard her say that she is voting third party. She’s made comments that show her main voting priorities are aligned with Harris’s. She simply said she wasn’t ENDORSING Harris. There are a million celebrities all over the place who haven’t endorsed anyone. Why is everyone so insistent that THIS specific celebrity stan Harris? It’s okay to not agree with everything a politician stands for and still vote for them. I’m disgusted by this comment section, and by yesterday’s too.
@tealily please do not gaslight – the backlash was not about her not endorsing anyone. I would just like to reiterate that nobody expected her to and nobody was requiring her to. The backlash was about her both-sidesing republicans and democrats. Thus misleading the public – not illogically, that she was voting for a third party. It is egregious because as a queer woman, she was not clear in her messaging how urgent it not to make trump win and Project 2025 be implemented. She was more intent in her anti-establishment views. Another fact, even in the video where she begrudgingly said she will vote for Kamala and did not endorse her because ‘the left is transphobic and has genocidal policies’? Like, what?
@tealily, you can say that all you want. That is not the issue. Nor is that the problem with Chappelle Roan is it? It’s like you’re changing the subject. The problem is Chapelle Roan’s poor messaging (the both sidesing). Obviously there are no perfect political parties – especially in a binary system. So you will just have to vote for a party you have lesser disagreements with. Until today/ Wednesday, she was more intent in her messaging that both parties are bad. She ends it there. Worse, she has more crticisms for the democrats rather than the republicans. She never said anything nice about the current govt so how can one think she will vote democrat? In this very critical time that democracy is on the line. A non-vote for Harris can very well be a win for trump and the implementation of Project 2025. Have you read the Guardian article? It’s long and thoughtful. I WAS a fan that is why I read it. It talked about her charity to the LGBTQ+ community & aid to Palestine. So it was not a hit piece but when i read the part where she mentioned the both sidesing, her white privilege just screamed out from the page to me and I was turned off immediately. You do know that aside from the LGBTQ+ community the other group of people that gave backlash for what she said are other marginalised groups? If Project 2025 gets implemented she won’t get mass deported with a serial number. So, no. this is not about her begrdugingly voting democrat even though she does not completely agree with them. That is normal. She’s not the only one who will do that. The issue is her problematic messaging and it’s okay for people to call her out on that.
Where is her publicist? It would have been simple to urge each and every eligible fan to register to vote, to carefully consider each candidate up and down the ballot, and to vote with the future of the Pink Pony Club in mind. Then it becomes about empowering her fans. They would have understood and taken it from there.
Here’s the thing…I have Gen Z kids and let me tell you she is speaking for a laaaaarge percentage of the youths. I hear her saying that there are things to criticize on both sides, which is actually true. The Democrats are not where these kids want them to be on some issues and it is actually okay for them to push for more. We have to be able to have constructive criticism of our government for our country to progress.
I feel like folks who are where she is can be persuaded to vote Kamala and educated to understand how voting third party is not where it’s at. Imo the most effective strategy is to work WITH people who feel like this while there’s still time. But we won’t do it by calling her stupid, uneducated, dismissing her feelings or telling her to shut up. I’m saving that for MAGA.
Like Sharon McMahon says (@sharonsaysso on insta, worth a follow!) “People don’t change their mind or their behavior because you shamed them into it… People don’t listen until they feel listened to. Shame, name calling, and mocking are cheap and ineffective. Respect is costly, but it’s the only thing that works.”
The whole point is to vote for Harris but not necessarily settle. There are people more qualified and organized to speak on this and in any case there’s no purpose or direction to what she has to say.
It irritates me when people who only pop up every 4 years start screaming about how we need third parties and why haven’t we codified xyz. They have no idea that the Trump supporters in local and state elections (and the voter suppression and gerrymandering) are responsible for this as well and they’re not interested in learning.
There’s gen z artists like Olivia, Gracie, Yara, Who are taking the stand in supporting Kamala as they want to protect Women’s rights, Transgender rights , etc and not wanting to live in a Dictatorship. It’s their future. And they don’t want to f$&ck it up for themselves or Gen A and future generations when they had a Chance to stop fascism.
Chappell is so getting dragged on Twitter, and I’m not defending her either .