Chappell Roan Goes Medieval at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, Posing With a Sword

Chappell Roan made her first-ever appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards — and it should come as no surprise that she went all out for the red carpet.

Roan, 26, stepped out on Wednesday, September 11, at the UBS Arena in New York in a sheer maroon gown by Y/Project, holding onto a gilded sword. The pop star accessorized her look with a cross-shaped pendant and fingerless gloves.

Roan is nominated for four awards at Wednesday’s show: Best New Artist, Push Performance of the Year for “Red Wine Supernova,” Song of Summer for “Good Luck, Babe!” and Best Trending Video for “Hot to Go!” She is also set to perform at the ceremony.

Roan’s appearance at the VMAs comes weeks after she made headlines for setting boundaries with her fans as her fame has grown exponentially over the past several months.

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“For the past 10 years, I’ve been going non-stop to build my project and it’s come to the point that I need to draw lines and set boundaries,” she wrote in an Instagram statement on August 23. “I want to be an artist for a very long time. I’ve been in too many nonconsensual physical and social interactions and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don’t owe you s–t.”

The pop star noted that she chose to be a musician but made it clear that strangers aren’t entitled to her time during her off-hours.

“I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it,” Roan wrote. “While I’m on stage, when I’m performing, when I’m in drag, when I’m at a work event, when I’m doing press … I am at work. Any other circumstances, I am not in work mode. I am clocked out.”

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She continued: “I am specifically talking about predatory behavior (disguised as ‘superfan’ behavior) that has become normalized because of the way women [who] are well-known have been treated in the past. Please do not assume you know a lot about someone’s life, personality and boundaries because you are familiar with them or their work online.”

Roan’s message garnered widespread support from fellow artists, including Jewel and Paramore’s Hayley Williams.

“Read the whole thing and the caption too,” Williams, 35, wrote via Instagram while reposting Roan’s original statement. “This happens to every woman I know from this business, myself included. Social media has made this worse. I’m really thankful Chappell is willing to address it in a real way, in real time. It’s brave and unfortunately necessary.”