Chappell Roan couldn’t seem to stop making headlines at Wednesday night’s VMAs. There was her armor-clad performance of “Good Luck, Babe!,” her heartfelt acceptance speech for Best New Artist, and her ethereal red carpet look — which came with its own controversial moment.

While Roan was posing for photographers, a voice from the crowd shouted, “Shut the f*ck up!” In a clip that’s since gone viral, Roan wheeled around to return the sentiment: “You shut the f*ck up!” she said. With a pointed finger, she added, “Don’t. Not me, b*tch.”

Later in the night, during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Roan explained how she was feeling as she walked the carpet.

“This is quite overwhelming and quite scary,” she said. “I think for someone who gets a lot of anxiety around people yelling at you, the carpet is horrifying. And I yelled back. I yelled back! You don’t get to yell at me like that.”

Roan’s boldness to challenge a photographer raised eyebrows across the internet. In combination with some of her previous comments about setting boundaries with fans, critics said her red carpet outburst was another reason she isn’t cut out for fame.

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But plenty of folks thought the exact opposite. Maybe Roan is actually perfect for fame. Maybe she’s helping other artists see that setting boundaries is possible, and they don’t need to put up with a level of harassment that’s become normalized in the music industry.

Besides, Roan’s already been through so much since her rapid rise to fame — in her recent Rolling Stone profile, she revealed being stalked and nonconsensually kissed by so-called fans. All things considered, standing her ground on the carpet would seem warranted even if the photographer hadn’t started it.

Other artists also chimed in on the situation. Noah Kahan recalled a time he’d been sworn at by photographers, too: “I’ll never forget leaving Clive Davis and the horrific sh*t photographers and paparazzi or whatever were saying to me in front of my sweet mom who couldn’t believe it was actually happening,” he shared in a post. “Love this @ChappellRoan way to stand up for yourself.”

Meanwhile, actor Colton Haynes said the photographer who swore at Roan is infamous for their bad behavior. “I was there, & have been to the VMAs many times,” he posted. “Every single year there’s this one *sshole photographer who deserves to be punched in the face. He’s always scoffing/screaming at everyone & saying ‘f*ck’ every other word. F*ck him. Good for u Chappell.”

Check out Roan’s full performance of “Good Luck, Babe!” at the VMAs below.

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