Jewel is opening up about the terrifying experiences she’s had with stalkers while being in the public eye.
In a TikTok video, Jewel defends fellow singer Chappell Roan for speaking out about setting boundaries with fans.
In recent weeks, breakout star Chappell Roan has faced a large amount of criticism after speaking out about fans crossing the line when they see her out in public, including instances of touching her without consent.
With the uproar surrounding Roan’s comments, Jewel defended her in a video by sharing her own experiences with inappropriate fan behavior.
“I saw that [Chappell Roan] had to turn off her comments because of her recent post just saying being stalked and having people grab you in public isn’t okay as a celebrity,” Jewel began. “It’s really interesting. A lot of the comments are people saying, ‘You shouldn’t have chosen your job, then.’ I get to speak as an older stateswoman, so I’ll give you an example.”
To emphasize the seriousness of the situation, the “You Were Meant For Me” singer removed her hat to show her gray hair to the camera.
“You see how gray I am,” she continued. “I went gray overnight when I was 21 years old, with my first stalker. It was so scary. This person was leaving fire bombs outside my house. I was getting death threats saying I would be shot from the stage. I’ve had hundreds of stalkers in my career, and it’s not okay. It made me step back from my own career.”
And while boundaries should be something everyone respects, even for celebrities, Jewel admits it took her years to figure out how to set and enforce them.
“I learned with time that I could talk to my fans and say, ‘You can’t come within six feet of me,'” she said.
“But the amount of times I was chased in airports because I wouldn’t stop, because if I stop once a mob would happen,” she added. “I remember a guy calling me a bitch, yelling at me through the airport, ‘f***ing bitch! You think you’re all that?’ We shouldn’t make people feel unsafe.”
Jewel went on to express her support directly to Roan, telling her she is “proud” of her decision to speak out publicly on the serious issue, noting that many people hesitate to do so.
“I hope you all know that everybody is worthy of compassion. Even if you’re rich. Even if you’re famous.”
Watch Jewel speak out about her terrifying stalker experiences in the video below.