Chappell Roan and the Pop Star Cop-Out: You Can’t Preach Politics and Then Plead Ignorance

Daddy gang, this one's gonna sting.

Popstar Chappell Roan, has quickly become a favorite among fans who crave not just high-energy performances but also an artist who reflects their political values. However, in a recent episode of Call Her Daddy, Roan seemed to contradict the image she has carefully cultivated. Her comments about how pop stars shouldn't be expected to be politically engaged because of their busy schedules felt tone-deaf to many fans in an era when everyone—regardless of career—has to navigate the political landscape.

Roan states, "Why the f*** are you looking to me for some political answer...I'm a popstar". And for a second there, I fully agreed with her. You don't see me going to Ice Spice for political commentary or idea juxtaposition, but the issue is that those conversations are not ones she engages in. Roan, on the other hand, does.

Let’s be clear: No one is asking Roan to host political rallies or run for office. But to claim she doesn’t talk about politics is just flat-out false. She has consistently championed LGBTQ+ rights, a deeply political issue, especially in today’s climate. At the 2025 Grammy Awards just this February, she didn’t just give a vague “love is love” speech—she directly called for support of trans joy, livable wages, and healthcare for artists. She has used her platform to push for change, and people respect her for it.

And then there’s her refusal to perform at the White House Pride event in 2024. She turned it down, citing the administration’s failure to fully support gender-affirming care for trans youth. Her words? “We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.” That’s not a neutral statement. That’s a political stance. It was a moment of activism that resonated with her fans, who saw her as someone willing to speak up when it mattered.

So when Roan now claims that pop stars can’t be expected to “juggle” political engagement, it doesn’t add up. She already does. She’s done it in her music, in her public statements, and in the way she’s positioned herself within pop culture. What people are reacting to isn’t that she doesn’t want to be political—it’s that she suddenly doesn’t want to be held accountable for the political space she’s already stepped into.

The backlash isn’t about demanding that Roan become a full-time activist; it’s about accountability. To turn around now and emphasize the difficulty in balancing politics with her career is not only contradictory but highlights the privilege embedded in her position. Unlike many of her fans, Roan’s livelihood and safety aren’t directly threatened by political decisions. It’s easy to disengage when the consequences don’t touch your day-to-day life.

This isn’t a new problem. Over the past decade, we’ve seen artists use political engagement as a branding tool, only to recoil when it becomes inconvenient. Pop stardom today often comes with an expectation of activism, not because celebrities are inherently political but because they have chosen to occupy that space for marketing and relatability. Roan’s attempt to step away from that responsibility now feels less like an honest plea for personal boundaries and more like an avoidance of the weight of the platform she built.

Everyone should strive to be politically literate because politics impact all of us, albeit in different ways. While it's true that pop stars have their own unique platform, they're still citizens with the same voting rights and responsibilities as anyone else. Their voices matter, not just because of their fame but because they are part of the democratic process.

The reality is that they influence a far broader audience than a political scholar could ever hope to at the local town hall. People may not be going to pop stars for nuanced policy insights, but we can't ignore that pop culture often intersects with politics, and public figures have a moral responsibility to be informed, especially when their words shape the thoughts of millions.

Fans aren’t looking for much, but they are tired of the bait-and-switch. If an artist builds their career in part by appealing to a politically conscious audience, they can’t expect to opt out when the stakes rise.