‘She said she grew up poor?’: Chappell Roan says she doesn’t like fame. So why did she go to a $3,000-a-week camp to learn how to become famous?
Things have just gone from bad to worse for Chappell Roan. One TikToker’s explosive claims about her background have caused netizens to doubt her humble beginnings.
After Chappell Roan’s latest scandal, the singer’s past has been put under a microscope. TikToker @joblessed13 dove deep into Roan’s family background on the app. Cumulatively, the now-removed three clips the user posted amassed over 5 million views.
The TikToker calls out Roan
In the first clip, the TikToker highlighted how Roan went to Grammy’s Camp in 2014. She claims this costs “$3,000 per week.” However, the camp is a one-off, 7-day program according to its website. So it would cost $3,000 in total rather than weekly. Evidence also suggests that Roan fundraised the money to attend. The TikToker then showed footage of Roan saying “[expletive] the Grammys” in a 2022 interview, where she called it “a talent show for rich people.” The TikToker didn’t stop there. They then claimed that Dennis K. Chappell, Roan’s late grandfather, was an alleged “multimillionaire” who purportedly owned a large golf course and planes.
According to his obituary, Chappell was one of the original business partners of the insurance company, PJC Insurance. It was previously known as Proctor-Jarvis-Chappell Insurance Agency. In turn, The Daily Mail claimed that the company is estimated to make $9-10 million in annual revenue. The obituary also claims that he was a pilot and the “principal owner” of Ridge Golf & Country Club in Bolivar.
The TikToker then went on to describe Roan’s mother as an accomplished veterinarian who, along with husband Dwight, invested $760,000 into a mobile veterinary hospital. This is verified by a Springfield Business Journal article.
They also claimed that Roan’s uncle, Darin Chappell, is an anti-trans Republican state representative for Missouri. Based on his profile on the official Missouri House of Representatives website, it appears to be true. However, The Mary Sue was unable to independently verify his position on trans rights. Concluding the video, @joblessed13 shared more interview snippets of Roan talking about her acting classes and management, casting doubt on the singer’s previous claims that she couldn’t afford health insurance before becoming successful.
Roan faced further scrutiny in follow-ups
In a follow-up video, the TikToker refutes the singer’s claims that she used to live in a trailer park. She shared pictures of a “whole cow farm” and “big [expletive] house” that she alleges Roan used to live in. She also highlighted two 2017 articles: one where Roan’s press agent at the time said she was in Italy with her then-boyfriend, and another where the musician said she was flying between Missouri and LA every two weeks.
User @joblessed13 also highlighted a so-called “pattern” where Roan initially said in a 2018 interview that her first CD was Pink. However, in a later interview, she said she didn’t grow up in a musical household. She added she was “mostly raised” on Christian rock music.
Another apparent inconsistency the TikToker flagged was one article describing Roan’s upbringing as a “strict Christian environment.” In another, she apparently described Roan’s parents as “free range.” The Mary Sue was unable to track down the purported second article. Meanwhile, in 2o22 interview, the TikToker highlights that Roan said she “did this with no money.” This, the user argued, is contradictory because of opportunities like the aforementioned Grammys camp. As well as this, the TikToker highlighted that an old photograph of Roan appears to show the golf club her grandfather owned in the background.
In a third clip, the TikToker made more claims. She began by referencing an old interview with Roan’s mother, where she admitted to living frugally. She argued that being frugal isn’t the same as being poor. She also reiterated, per the obituary, that Roan’s grandfather was the “principal owner” of the country club. Additionally, the TikToker referred to a Reddit post regarding Roan’s grandfather’s wealth and a drama forum post about the fundraiser that The Mary Sue could not independently verify.
How did commenters react?
Commenters were split. On the one hand, some seemed anti-Roan. “I thought she said she grew up poor?” one asked. “Somebody from her high school speak up,” another added. While a third asked, “Why did she say she couldn’t afford health insurance? This part is THROWING me.”
On the other hand, some commenters took Roan’s side. “I don’t understand why all of a sudden there’s a smear campaign against her,” a fourth admitted. While a fifth argued, “You cannot hate Chappell Roan and love Drake, Chris Brown, and Kanye btw.”
The TikToker didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
What’s going on with Chappell Roan?
Last week, the musician amassed controversy after professional soccer player Jorginho called out the singer on social media, according to Entertainment Weekly. Reportedly, his 11-year-old stepdaughter, who also happens to be Jude Law’s daughter, was in São Paulo with her mother to attend Lollapalooza Brazil. He claims she was especially excited for Chappell Roan, even making a sign for her. Coincidentally, she ended up in the same hotel as Roan and saw her at breakfast.
He added that his step-daughter purportedly “didn’t even approach” Roan. “She didn’t say anything, didn’t ask for anything,” he insisted. According to Jorginho, a security guard then approached the table in an “extremely aggressive manner,” and said the mother shouldn’t let her “disrespect” or “harass” people. The guard then allegedly said he would file a complaint against them with the hotel. This purportedly left the child “in tears.”
Jorginho added, “I’ve lived with football, public exposure, and well-known people for many years, and I understand very well what respect and boundaries are.What happened there was not that. It was just a child admiring someone.”
He concluded by telling Roan, who was tagged in the Instagram story post, that “WITHOUT YOUR FANS, YOU WOULD BE NOTHING.”
Since this all unfolded, social media has been in uproar against Roan, and based on these latest TikToks, that doesn’t look likely to change anytime soon.
We reached out to Chappell Roan’s management via email.
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