‘It’s like, wow. I was really deranged’: stars and repentant stans on the terror of toxic fandom

Chappell Roan, Halsey and Tegan and Sara are among the music icons rebuking bad fan behaviour. From catfishing to sexual assault and death threats, singers and fans explore how pop became so dehumanised

This summer, norms of pop flipped when musicians started telling off their fans. Leading the pack was Chappell Roan, the 26-year-old breakout star of 2024. In a statement on Instagram, she outlined the “too many nonconsensual physical and social interactions” she had had with fans, including people hassling her family and friends. One fan even grabbed and kissed her while she was in a bar, she said. “I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path,” she wrote, “nor do I deserve it.”

Roan isn’t alone. In the past year, Halsey has called out her “mean” fanbase in a now-deleted post on Tumblr. The band Muna chastised certain fans for bullying and cyberstalking. Doja Cat called fans who tried to give themselves a collective name, à la Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters, “creepy as fuck”. Even Taylor Swift, whose relationship with the Swifties has previously felt sacrosanct, prodded at overbearing fan behaviour on her album The Tortured Poets Department. Artists, it seems, are finally pushing back against intrusive fan culture.

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