Chappell Roan’s Brigitte Bardot Tribute Didn’t Sit Right with Fans

Singer Chappell Roan caught a little bit of heat at the end of December 2025 after news broke that international French sex symbol and actor Brigitte Bardot had passed away on Dec. 28 at 91. Like a lot of people probably did, Chappell posted a tribute to Brigitte on her Instagram Stories, sharing a photo of her from her heyday with the text overlay, “She was my inspiration for 'Red Wine Supernova.' Rest in peace Ms. Bardot.”

For context, Chappell’s song “Red Wine Supernova,” which has racked up over 26 million views on YouTube, literally calls out Bardot by name. And thanks to Chappell’s admission, we now know the actor and model, who later became a very controversial figure, was the inspiration behind the song. Here’s the rundown of what else Chappell said and why people were a little surprised by her tribute.

After outlets reported that Brigitte Bardot had passed away, Chappell Roan took to Instagram Stories to post a tribute. But after finding out about all the wild controversies Brigitte got tangled up in later in life, Chappell removed her post. She later returned to Instagram Stories with a follow-up, writing: “Holy s--t I did not know all that insane s--t Ms. Bardot stood for. Obvs I do not condone this. Very disappointing to learn.”

Naturally, Chappell’s initial post left plenty of fans a little confused that the “Pink Pony Girl” singer hadn’t done more research on Brigitte before using her as inspiration for a song. But many think Chappell was just an admirer of the model. After all, Brigitte was mostly known as a Hollywood legend and sex symbol who helped push for the liberation of sexuality. It wasn’t until later in her life that she became a devoted animal rights activist and far-right supporter.

One Reddit user even pointed out that they weren’t aware of Brigitte’s controversial views until her passing. “I’m around Chappell’s age and her dying is genuinely the first I’ve heard of any of the genuinely horrific things she’s done,” the user admitted. So it’s possible Chappell simply didn’t know either. Still, it was pretty wild for her to hold such high respect for Brigitte, considering she later stood for causes that go against the very things that define Chappell as a person. Let’s break that down a little.

Not only did Brigitte incite racial hatred, particularly against Muslims and their religious practices, like how they slaughter sheep for certain holidays (she was even jailed for it multiple times), but she also made crude comments about immigration and homosexuality. And since Chappell is openly gay, that was a big shocker. Brigitte even went against the highly publicized #MeToo movement in 2018, when it was at its peak.

In an interview, per AP News, she called many of the actors protesting sexual harassment in the film industry “hypocritical” and “ridiculous,” claiming that some played “the teases” with producers to land parts. She also said it was “charming to be told that I was beautiful or that I had a nice little ass.”

Needless to say, these views don’t exactly align with Chappell’s, so her tribute, which she quickly corrected, came as a bit of a surprise. But overall, people are happy she addressed it rather than ignoring it.