Jewel says stalker once left firebombs outside her house, defends Chappell Roan's criticism of 'creepy' fans
Jewel revealed her own experience with "hundreds of stalkers" as she defended Chappell Roan's criticism of fans exhibiting "creepy behavior."
Jewel, 50, came to Roan's defense after the new pop star claimed she was being harassed and stalked by fans. Jewel explained she "went gray overnight" at the age of 21 while dealing with her first stalker.
"It was so scary. This person was leaving firebombs outside my house. I was getting death threats saying I would be shot from the stage," Jewel said in a TikTok video. "I’ve had hundreds of stalkers in my career, and it’s not OK. It made me step back from my own career. I quit after ‘Spirit’, after ‘Hands,’ because it was just too much."
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Jewel explained she eventually was able to set boundaries with her fans. The "You Were Meant For Me" singer shared one fan encounter when the person stood six feet away from Jewel and said, "I want to tell you how much I love your music."
"That was so nice. It made me feel so safe. I could choose to take a picture safely," she recalled. "But the amount of times I was chased in airports because I wouldn’t stop, because if I stop once a mob would happen, I remember a guy calling me a ‘b----,’ yelling at me through the airport, ‘F---ing b----. You think you’re all that?’ We shouldn’t make people feel unsafe."
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She shared "full support" for Roan, saying, "I’m proud of what you’re doing."
"I hope you all know that everybody is worthy of compassion," she continued. "Even if you’re rich. Even if you’re famous. We must show, if that’s a value of ours, to have compassion, to be tolerant, we have to be willing to understand the joys and the struggles of other people’s lives."
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Roan first signed with Atlantic Records at the age of 17 after posting videos of herself singing on YouTube. The young artist began touring with larger artists, including Fletcher and Olivia Rodrigo.
The "Pink Pony Club" singer was dropped by Atlantic Records in 2020 and, in a move that would change her career, began developing her music independently. Island Records picked up the now 26-year-old a year later. She seemingly hit megastardom overnight after her 2024 Coachella performance went viral.
Roan currently boasts seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100. "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess," the singer's latest album, sits at number four on the Billboard 200.
"I don’t care that abuse and harassment, stalking, whatever, is a normal thing to do to people who are famous or a little famous," Roan said in a series of videos shared to TikTok.
"I don’t care that it’s normal," she added. "I don’t care that this crazy type of behavior comes along with the job, [or] the career field I’ve chosen. That does not make it OK. That doesn’t make it normal. That doesn’t mean I want it. Doesn’t mean that I like it."
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Roan, who is currently on "The Midwest Princess Tour," called out fans who believe they are "entitled" to a photo, hug or time with her.
"I don’t want whatever the f--- you think you’re supposed to be entitled to whenever you see a celebrity," she explained. "I don't give a f--- if you think it’s selfish of me to say no for a photo or for your time, or for a hug."
"That’s not normal. That’s weird," she added. "It’s weird how people think that you know a person just because you see them online, and you listen to the art they make. That’s f---ing weird. I’m allowed to say no to creepy behavior."