Chappell Roan made a bold statement at the 2024 MTV VMAs—not just for her medieval-inspired outfit, complete with a sword and rug, but also for a fierce exchange that took place on the red carpet.
The incident, which was caught on video, shows Roan responding after a photographer shouted at her.
While posing for photos at the entry to UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., a photographer impatiently yelled at the rising pop star to “Shut the f–k up,” prompting the “Good Luck, Babe!” singer to turn and deliver an unfiltered response: “You shut the f–k up.”
Waving a finger at the heckler, she added, “Not me, b—h,” before calmly resuming her red carpet poses as the crowd cheered.
Roan has been vocal about her experiences as an artist, especially when it comes to setting boundaries. After the incident, she told Entertainment Tonight, “For someone who gets a lot of anxiety around people yelling at you, the carpet is horrifying, and I yelled back. You don’t get to yell at me like that.”
Inside the venue was a more positive experience for the Missouri native, who took home her first-ever MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist.
“Can you believe it? We’re at the VMAs!” she exclaimed as she accepted the award. In an emotional speech, Roan dedicated the win to the LGBTQ+ community and those who have supported her. “I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspire me… for all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now, I see you. I understand you, because I am one of you.”
Before accepting her Moon Person, Roan brought the heat on stage with a fiery performance of her breakout single “Good Luck, Babe!”
Dressed in a suit of armor, the vocalist lit a castle on fire with a flaming crossbow without missing a single note of the track, which reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August.
In addition to this major win, Roan was also nominated for Push Performance of the Year for “Red Wine Supernova”, and Song of the Summer for “Good Luck, Babe!”.
Watch the moment Roan confronts a photographer on the 2024 MTV VMAs red carpet below.
