RIO DE JANEIRO — Grammy Award-winning artist Chappell Roan has addressed allegations made by Brazilian-Italian soccer player Jorginho, who claimed that a security guard mistreated his 11-year-old stepdaughter after she recognized Roan.
Jorginho Frello, known to fans as Jorginho and a player for Flamengo, shared that his wife and stepdaughter were staying at the same Sao Paulo hotel as the singer. Roan was in Brazil to perform at the Lollapalooza music festival when the incident allegedly took place.
In an Instagram post written in both Portuguese and English, Jorginho recounted that the situation unfolded during breakfast when his stepdaughter spotted Roan. “Like any child, she was excited to see someone she recognized and just wanted to confirm it was her,” Jorginho explained. The child in question is the daughter of his wife, Catherine Harding, and British actor Jude Law.
Jorginho added that his stepdaughter remained quiet and did not approach Roan. Despite this, a security guard reportedly approached their table and spoke to his family “in an extremely aggressive manner,” according to Jorginho.
The soccer star expressed his dissatisfaction with Roan, suggesting she did not merit the admiration of her fans.
In response, Roan took to Instagram on Sunday to clarify her side of the story. She stated that the security guard involved was not part of her personal team and mentioned that she did not notice a woman and child during the incident.
“It’s unfair for security to just assume someone doesn’t have good intentions,” Roan said. “I do not hate people who are fans of my music. I do no hate children.”
Rio’s new mayor Eduardo Cavaliere weighed in on the controversy late on Saturday, saying that while he was mayor Roan would never perform on Copacabana Beach as Madonna and Lady Gaga have, and as Shakira will do in May.
“I doubt that Shakira would do that!” he said, adding that Jorginho’s daughter would be a guest of honor at the Colombian superstar’s upcoming free concert on Rio’s sprawling sands. Cavaliere replaced former Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes on Friday.
Roan, who is openly queer and taps into drag culture, was the sassy toast of the pop world in 2024 with tracks that include “Good Luck, Babe!” “Red Wine Supernova” and “Hot To Go!” from her 2023 album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”
Roan nudged aside Sabrina Carpenter to win the Grammy for best new artist last February.
After the lengthy texts, Jorginho posted a story of his daughter’s excited reaction upon arriving at Carpenter’s show at Lollapalooza. “Everything is well with the girls, and thanks for the messages,” he said.
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