Following the death of French film icon Brigitte Bardot, singer Chappell Roan began revisiting the actress’ legacy—only to discover aspects of her history that have reportedly changed the artist’s perspective.
Bardot passed away at her home in southern France on Sunday, December 28, at the age of 91. Her death was confirmed by Bruno Jacquelin of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. Reports noted that the former actress and model had been hospitalized for three weeks in October due to a “serious illness,” though her official cause of death has yet to be released.
Chappell Roan, born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, had previously been vocal about her appreciation for Bardot, even referencing the late star in her popular track "Red Wine Supernova." The singer directly mentions Bardot in the song’s opening verse, singing: “She was a playboy, Brigitte Bardot / She showed me things, I didn’t know / She did it right there, out on the deck / Put her canine teeth in the side of my neck”.
That admiration, however, was reportedly short-lived, as the artist was soon flooded with information about her late inspiration—much of it casting the actress in a troubling light.
Although Bardot stepped away from acting in 1973 at the age of 39—and later devoted herself to animal rights causes—her public image shifted dramatically in the 1990s. During that time, she drew widespread criticism for repeatedly expressing far-right political views, particularly rhetoric opposing immigration.
The backlash was significant. Over the course of 11 years, Bardot was found guilty by French courts on five separate occasions for inciting racial hatred.
Controversy followed her into the following decades. In 2012, she once again made headlines after publicly backing far-right politician Marine Le Pen’s bid for the French presidency—a campaign that ultimately failed. Six years later, she sparked further outrage by dismissing the #MeToo movement, which addresses sexual harassment in Hollywood, labeling it both “hypocritical” and “ridiculous.”
Speaking to Paris Match about the movement, Bardot said: "Many actresses flirt with producers to get a role. Then, when they tell the story afterwards, they say they have been harassed - in actual fact, rather than benefit them, it only harms them.
"I thought it was nice to be told that I was beautiful or that I had a pretty little ass. This kind of compliment is nice."
Chappell’s original tribute to the polarizing actress quickly drew backlash online, with several social media users voicing criticism on X, formerly known as Twitter. One user urged the singer to reconsider, writing: "Chappell Roan, please open Brigitte Bardot’s Wikipedia page."
Just hours later, Chappell appeared to walk back her praise publicly. Taking to Instagram, she addressed the controversy head-on, writing: "Holy sh*t I did not know all that insane st Ms. Bardot stood for [obviously] I do not condone this."
She followed up with a brief but pointed addition: "Very disappointing to learn."
Despite the criticism, the Pink Pony Club hitmaker was met with an outpouring of support from fans, many of whom defended her by pointing out that her admiration stemmed from Brigitte Bardot’s influence on pop culture—not from an awareness of the actress’ controversial history.
