Chappell Roan distanced herself from Brigitte Bardot's views after initially paying tribute to her. Photo / Getty Images
Chappell Roan distanced herself from Brigitte Bardot's views after initially paying tribute to her. Photo / Getty Images
Chappell Roan has insisted she does “not condone” Brigitte Bardot’s views after paying tribute to the late actor.
The 27-year-old pop star – who references the former model and actress in her 2023 song Red Wine Supernova – has backtracked on her tribute to the star, who died onSunday aged 91.
After news of Bardot’s death, Chappell wrote on Instagram: “Rest in peace Ms. Bardot. She was my inspiration for red wine supernova.”
In the first verse of the hit song, she sings: “She was a playboy, Brigitte Bardot / She showed me things I didn’t know.”
However, on Monday, the singer took to her Instagram Story with another post about the late star.
She wrote: “Holy s*** I did not know all that insane s*** Ms. Bardot stood for. Obvs I do not condone this.
“Very disappointing to learn.”
After rising to fame in films like And God Created Woman, Bardot – who is regarded as an icon of French cinema – faced her share of scandals and controversy.
In 1992, she married politician Bernard d’Ormale, who was convicted of racism and inciting racial hatred at least six times.
Bardot herself was fined 30,000 francs by a French court in 2000 for inciting racial hatred in her 1999 book Le Carre de Pluton.
She wrote in the book: “My land is again invaded by an overpopulation of foreigners, especially Muslims.”
In her 2003 book Un Cris dans le Silence, she referred to the LGBTQ+ community as “fairground freaks” who were partly to blame for the “destruction” of French culture.
And in 2018, she told Paris Match magazine that the #MeToo movement was “hypocritical, ridiculous and uninteresting”.
In comments translated from French, she added: “This takes the place of important themes that could be discussed. I have never been the victim of sexual harassment.
“And I found it charming to be told that I was beautiful or that I had a nice little a**. This kind of compliment is nice.”
Bardot quit acting at the age of 39 to focus on animal rights campaigning and political activism.
Following her death, French President Emmanuel Macron said: “Her films, her voice, her dazzling fame, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne - Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom. A French existence, a universal radiance. She moved us. We mourn a legend of the century.”
And Marine Le Pen, the French far-right politician previously praised by the late star, hailed Bardot as an “exceptional woman”.
She wrote: “A woman who chose to break with an incredible career to devote herself to the animals she defended until her last breath with inexhaustible energy and love. She was incredibly French: free, untamable, whole. She will be greatly missed by us.”
Meanwhile, the city of Saint-Tropez – where Bardot lived – mourned their “most radiant ambassador”.
A statement on behalf of the coastal resort read: “An icon of French cinema and an international figure, Brigitte Bardot will forever be associated with Saint-Tropez, of which she was the most radiant ambassador. Through her presence, her personality, and her aura, she left her mark on the history of our town and helped to make Saint-Tropez shine across the world.
“Brigitte Bardot now belongs to the collective memory of Saint-Tropez, which we must preserve. She will continue to inhabit the soul of our town.”
