Grammy award-winning artist Chappell Roan has responded to claims by Brazilian-Italian soccer player Jorginho that a security guard mistreated his 11-year-old stepdaughter after she recognized the singer. Jorginho, also known as Jorginho Frello and a player for Flamengo, revealed that his wife and stepdaughter encountered the singer at a Sao Paulo hotel where both parties were staying for the Lollapalooza Brazil music festival.
According to Jorginho, during breakfast, his daughter recognized Roan, approached her table excitedly, and simply wanted to verify her identity. However, a security guard intervened in what Jorginho described as an aggressive manner towards his family. Jorginho expressed disappointment towards Roan and questioned her deserving of her fans’ admiration.
Roan addressed the incident on Instagram, clarifying that the security guard was not under her employ and that she was unaware of the situation involving the woman and child. She emphasized the unfairness of presuming ill intentions and expressed sadness if the mother and child felt uncomfortable, asserting that she harbors no ill will towards her fans or children.
The controversy caught the attention of Rio’s new mayor, Eduardo Cavaliere, who remarked on the situation and questioned Roan’s future performances in the city. However, he extended an invitation to Jorginho’s daughter to attend an upcoming concert by Colombian superstar Shakira on Copacabana Beach. Roan, known for her drag culture influence and openly queer identity, gained popularity in 2024 with hits like “Good Luck, Babe!”, “Red Wine Supernova,” and “Hot To Go!” from her album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” which led her to win the Grammy for Best New Artist.
In response to the incident, Jorginho later shared his daughter’s excitement at attending Sabrina Carpenter’s show at Lollapalooza, indicating that everything was resolved amicably.