Tangará Palace, the hotel where one of Chappell Roan’s security guards allegedly berated an 11-year-old fan, has addressed the controversy, subtly defending the girl and her family.
The child, Ada, who is the daughter of actor Jude Law, stayed at the five-star hotel in Brazil with her mother, Catherine Harding, and stepfather, Brazilian footballer Jorginho Frello.
Highlights
- Tangará Palace has seemingly sided with Jorginho Frello and his wife, Catherine Harding, amid the scandal involving Harding’s 11-year-old daughter.
- Frello publicly accused Chappell Roan’s security of “extremely aggressive” behavior toward his stepdaughter.
- The singer, who was in Brazil for Lollapalooza, insisted that she wasn’t involved in the incident and never saw the girl.
In an Instagram post, Jorginho shared that Ada was a huge fan of Roan and was excited to recognize her while having breakfast at the hotel with her mother.
Image credits: Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images
He said the 11-year-old simply walked past the singer’s table to confirm it was really her and did not ask for a picture or interact with her. However, the footballer claimed that a security guard later approached the girl’s table and mistreated her.
The security guard, identified as Pascal Duvier, allegedly accused the girl of harassing the superstar and threatened to file a complaint against the mother and daughter with the hotel.
Jorginho said the security guard began speaking to the pair in an “extremely aggressive” manner and wrote, “Honestly, I don’t know at what point simply walking past a table and looking to see if someone is there can be considered harassment.”
Image credits: palaciotangara/Instagram
The 34-year-old footballer, who previously played for Chelsea and Arsenal, revealed that his stepdaughter was left “extremely shaken and cried a lot.”
“Without your fans, you would be nothing,” he wrote, addressing Roan.
Roan responded to the athlete after performing at Lollapalooza. In a video, she apologized for the security’s behavior but claimed the man wasn't part of her team, suggesting he either worked for another artist at the hotel or had been hired by the hotel.
Image credits: catcavelli/Instagram
The Grammy-winning artist insisted that she never directed the man to the girl’s table and didn’t even see her walk past.
Tangará Palace, São Paulo’s most luxurious hotel, has now told Brazil’s showbiz columnist Leo Dias that “statements from Jorginho and his wife make it clear that the hotel is not involved in the situation involving the singer.”
Image credits: chappellroan/Instagram
On social media, people interpreted the statement as the hotel supporting the couple following Roan’s claims.
“The only other security that would have an interest is Roan’s. Whether it was her personal security or security hired for this particular event is semantics…” one netizen wrote.
“It’s a PR statement by a company that can’t publicly be seen to choose between two warring guests. But by reiterating what one of the guests says, they are actually confirming it’s not their security,” said another.
The Grammy winner claimed that she never saw the young fan and that the security guard wasn’t part of her team
The 28-year-old star had claimed in her video that the security guard at the center of the controversy “is not my personal security.”
“I didn’t even see, I didn’t even see a woman and a child like … no one came up to me, no one bothered me, like I was just sitting at breakfast in my hotel,” she said.
“I did not ask the security guard to go up and talk to this mother and child, I did not (…). It’s unfair for security to just assume someone doesn’t have good intentions.”
The Good Luck, Babe singer, who has made headlines for emphasizing the importance of boundaries between celebrities and fans, clarified that she doesn’t “hate children” or her supporters.
“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. You did not deserve that,” Roan added.
A spokesperson for the pop star later stated that Roan “holds her own teams to the highest standards and has zero tolerance for any kind of aggressive behavior towards her or her fans.”
Image credits: Emma McIntyre/Oscars/Getty Images
The 11-year-old’s mother, Catherine Harding, gave Roan the benefit of the doubt regarding whether she had actually sent the security guard to her table.
Still, she stated that artists are ultimately responsible for their workers’ behavior and for anyone they hire to act on their behalf.
“Would he do that if he didn’t have her authority to do so? I don’t know. If he does, then, obviously, that’s a big problem because then he’s representing her in a way that she doesn’t want to be represented,” Harding said in a video.
“If she [Roan] really didn’t send him, [the security guard] overstepped a boundary because he is quite an intimidating [man].”
Image credits: jorginhofrello/Instagram
She added, “If it wasn’t her, I hope she learns to maybe not allow the people who work for her to treat people like this.”
After the scandal, Harding posted photos of her daughter attending Sabrina Carpenter’s show at Lollapalooza and meeting Lewis Capaldi.
The incident even drew attention from Eduardo Cavaliere, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, who said Roan would not be welcome to perform at the upcoming Todo Mundo no Rio free music festival.
Image credits: palaciotangara/Instagram
Flamengo, Jorginho’s football club, also took a jab at the singer by posting a video of its players stopping to pose for selfies with fans.
“Mengão, wherever it goes, connects with its fans through its idols and icons! Today it was São Paulo’s turn to feel the love!” the club captioned the post.
Tangará Palace is known for welcoming many celebrities, including F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and musician Paul McCartney.
The five-star hotel is home to a Michelin-starred restaurant overseen by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Its Royal Suite is one of the largest in Brazil and can cost up to $6,100 per night.
