After sharing a tribute to Brigitte Bardot on her Instagram Story, pop singer Chappell Roan publicly condemned the late actress’s political views.
Bardot passed away on Sunday, December 28, at the age of 91. On the same day, Roan paid tribute to the French cinema icon by posting a photo of her and writing: “Rest in peace, Ms. Bardot. She was my inspiration for ‘Red Wine Supernova’.”
Roan also references the former model and actress in the lyrics of her hit song Red Wine Supernova, singing in the opening line:
“She was a playboy, Brigitte Bardot / She showed me things I didn’t know before.”
One day later, on Monday, December 29, the singer returned to her Instagram Story to clarify and amend her tribute after learning more about Bardot’s political positions.
“My God, I had no idea about all the crazy things Ms. Bardot supported. I obviously do not approve. It’s extremely disappointing to learn this,” Roan wrote.
Brigitte Bardot’s legacy as an icon of French cinema has long been accompanied by scandals and controversy. After achieving global fame with films such as And God Created Woman, Bardot withdrew from acting and devoted herself to activism. While her primary focus was animal rights, her highly controversial views later came to light.
In 1992, Bardot married Bernard d’Ormale, a controversial figure in French politics who, according to Associated Press, has been convicted at least six times for racism and incitement to racial hatred.
Bardot herself was fined multiple times by French authorities for inciting racial hatred. In 2000, a French court fined her 30,000 francs over comments on immigration in her 1999 book Le Carré de Pluton, in which she wrote:
“My country is once again being invaded by an overpopulation of foreigners, particularly Muslims.”
In her 2003 book Un cri dans le silence, Bardot described the LGBTQ+ community as “circus attractions” and referred to them as part of the “destruction” of French culture.
She also criticized the #MeToo movement, calling it “hypocritical, ridiculous, and uninteresting” in a 2018 interview with the French magazine Paris Match.
Roan’s comments have sparked fresh debate online, highlighting the tension between artistic influence and the personal beliefs of cultural icons.
