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Chappell Roan’s Rise To Fame Wasn’t All It Was Cracked Up To Be

Chappell Roan has been on a rapid rise to fame. Your favorite artist’s favorite artist has written songs for your every mood and has been taking over the pop genre. Needless to say, Roan is everywhere. 

Her song “Casual,” describing the pain of a situationship, has been used for viral trends on TikTok and she has everyone everywhere doing the “HOT TO GO!” dance (even her own grandparents). 

Roan has proven her superstar status time and time again and her recent appearance on Drew Afualo’s podcast confirms why she’s the people’s pop icon! But as we’ve heard before, fame comes at a price and Roan just opened up about what her celeb status has cost her since rising to superstardom. 

While appearing on The Comment Section with Drew Afualo on July 17, Roan vulnerably discussed the shock of her quick rise to fame and how she feels with her current status, sharing its many difficulties.

Roan explained that her success skyrocketed when she began “doing inner child work” referring to her drag-inspired, colorful costumes and overall hypnotic stage presence. What she never anticipated, though, was being at this stature of fame. When Afualo asked Roan how she’s  been doing since her rise to fame, Roan said “tired and scared.” 

@drewafualo

feeling generous today 🤭 LMAOOO so heres a sneak peek of my episode w my angel bb @chappell roan that drops tomorrow!!! ur welcome!!!

♬ original sound – Drew Afualo

Afualo and Roan then touched on what they missed before being in the limelight – such as thrifting, going to the movies, and even making out with strangers at the bar. After they discussed it more thoroughly, Roan shared that what she really misses about her old life is, “Being by myself. That’s what I miss.”

Roan elaborated on how drastically her life has changed due to fame, saying that people have made her uncomfortable due to how they’ve invaded her privacy, especially in regards to her family. “People have started to be freaks,” Roan said. “Like following me or they know where my parents live and, like, where my sister works. All this weird sh*t.”  

Roan said she’s even thought of stepping out of the limelight for her own comfort and the safety of her family. “This is the time when I was, like a few years ago, that I said, “If [my] family was in danger… I would quit. So I’m just in this battle of like… I pumped the brakes on honestly anything to, like, make me more known. It’s kind of, like, a forest fire right now.”

While many might think that rising to fame  is a dazzling, picture-perfect dream come true, that’s not always the cast. Though she’s living many people’s dream life, Roan is no stranger to  daily struggles. But as someone who knows her limits, it’s clear that  she will prioritize her well-being over fame every time.

Amanda Brown is a current national writer for Her Campus, focusing largely on the Entertainment & Culture vertical. She was formerly the Summer 2024 Entertainment & Culture intern, writing about all things pop culture! Beyond Her Campus, Amanda is a sophomore Writing and Rhetoric major with an Honors Interdisciplinary Studies minor at James Madison University. Amanda is the Founder/President/Editorial Director of JMU's Spoon University chapter and the Junior Social Media Manager of JMU's Her Campus chapter. She is also a member of Gamma Phi Beta. In her free time, Amanda loves binge-watching reality TV (especially while drinking iced lattes) and going on long walks (ideally using it as a yap session or listening to music). Amanda loves reading romance novels while listening to Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams.