Chappell Roan pushes back after soccer star Jorginho alleges his daughter was mistreated

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Grammy-winning singer Chappell Roan responded on Sunday to accusations made by Brazilian-Italian soccer star Jorginho that a security guard mistreated his 11-year-old stepdaughter after she recognized the singer.

Jorginho Frello, a player for Flamengo widely known as Jorginho, said that his wife and the child were staying at the same hotel in Sao Paulo as the singer, who is in the country for the Lollapalooza Brazil music festival, when the controversy occurred.

“During breakfast, the artist walked past their table. My daughter, like any child, recognized her, got excited and just wanted to make sure it was really her,” Jorginho said, in a lengthy text posted on Instagram in Portuguese and English on Saturday. The girl is the daughter of Catherine Harding, Jorginho’s wife, and British actor Jude Law.

“She didn’t say anything, didn’t ask for anything,” Jorginho said, adding that a security guard then came over to his family’s table and spoke “in an extremely aggressive manner to both my wife and my daughter.”

Jorginho said that Roan did not deserve her fans’ affection.

Roan addressed the incident on Sunday in a video posted to her story on Instagram.

“It’s unfair for security to just assume someone doesn’t have good intentions,” Roan said. “When they have no reason to believe — because there’s no action even taken. I do not hate people who are fans of my music. I do not hate children, like that is crazy.” 

The singer said that the security guard was not her personal security and that she didn’t see a woman and a child.

“I’m sorry to the mother and child that someone was assuming something — that you would do something, and that if you felt uncomfortable, that makes me really sad,” she concluded. “You did not deserve that.” 

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.

Contributing: Mary Culbertson, KSL