Chappell Roan apologizes after soccer star describes upsetting encounter with his child. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
A tense moment involving pop star Chappell Roan and the family of Brazilian soccer player Jorginho Frello has sparked a wave of online conversation after both sides shared their version of what happened.
The situation began when Frello posted on his Instagram Story about an encounter involving his 11 year old daughter while staying at the same hotel as Roan in Brazil.
Roan was in the country to headline Lollapalooza, and Frello said his daughter was thrilled when she realized the singer she admired was staying there too.
According to Frello, the moment happened during breakfast when his daughter noticed Roan sitting at another table in the hotel restaurant.
He stressed that his daughter did not approach the singer or ask for anything.
“She just passed by the singer’s table, looked over to confirm it was her, smiled, and went back to the table with her mom,” he wrote. “She didn’t say anything, didn’t ask for anything.”
Frello claimed the situation took a sudden turn afterward when a security guard confronted his wife and daughter.
He wrote that the guard spoke “extremely aggressively” to them and accused his daughter of “disrespect” and “harassment,” which left the young girl frightened and crying.
The story quickly gained attention online, leading Roan to respond directly in a video posted to her own Instagram Story.
In the video, the singer said she had no knowledge of the interaction and insisted the person who approached the family was not part of her own security team.
“I didn’t even see a woman and a child … No one came up to me. No one bothered me,” she said. “I did not ask the security guard to go up and talk to this mother and child.”
Roan also said it was troubling to hear that the family had such an uncomfortable experience.
“It’s unfair for security to just assume someone doesn’t have good intentions when they have no reason to believe because there’s no action even taken,” she added.
The singer emphasized that she does not have negative feelings toward the people who support her music.
“Like, I do not hate people who are fans of my music. I do no hate children. Like, that is crazy.”
Even though she says she was unaware of the situation at the time, Roan still offered an apology to Frello’s wife and daughter if the encounter left them feeling upset.
She said she was saddened by what they experienced.
Roan also addressed the young girl directly, saying that if they “felt uncomfortable” she was truly sorry and added, “that makes me really sad. You did not deserve that.”
