Lately, it seems like everyone is talking about Chappell Roan. The singer, whose real name is Kayleigh Amstutz, has recently shot to superstardom and seems well on her way to becoming a household name—or, as she would put it, “your favorite artist’s favorite artist.” Though first signed to a label in 2015, she didn’t release her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” until September 2023, after which she soon began gaining mainstream popularity. “Good Luck Babe,” Roan’s most recent single, released in early April, was streamed on Spotify more than 100 million times by the end of May, and her recent performance on the main stage at Lollapalooza reportedly drew the festival’s largest crowd ever. Her merchandise has even been imitated by the Harris-Walz campaign.
Amid this buzz, an intriguing conversation has emerged: speculation about whether Chappell Roan is Jewish.
In one of the most prominent examples, an X user who goes by the name CartoonsHateHer tweeted on June 22, 2024, “sorry I have to take the day off I just found out Chappell Roan isn’t Jewish.” The post was viewed 12,000 times. Just five days earlier, a post on the Hey Alma Instagram account featured a tweet providing a Jewish twist on the singer’s name: “Synnaggogue Roan.” It received 3,586 likes, as commenters joined in on the fun, parodying her discography with riffs such as “Manischewitz Supernova,” a play on her song “Red Wine Supernova,” and “Good Luck Bubbeleh.”
Sorry I have to take the day off I just found out Chappell Roan isn’t Jewish
— Cartoons Hate Her! (@CartoonsHateHer) June 23, 2024
The claim, while entertaining, is unfounded. Roan, raised in Willard, Missouri, has been open about her conservative Christian upbringing. She has said she no longer identifies with the church, but has not explicitly stated any current religious beliefs.
Despite the traction Roan’s rumored Jewishness has gained, its origins remain unclear. Her last name, Amstutz, is plausibly Jewish-sounding due to its Germanic roots, but her first name, Kayleigh, is decidedly not. Perceived vibes, as well as a bit of wishful thinking, have likely played a large role as well. Reasons aside, Roan has undoubtedly joined the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr and Weird Al Yankovic on the star-studded list of non-Jewish celebrities consistently mistaken for Jews.
Amid the questions about her heritage, some X users have taken an opposite stance, and convinced themselves that she is a virulent antisemite. In response to a tweet about Roan’s production process, one user wondered, “Has anyone asked her why she hates Jewish people so much?” Another commented on a promotion post for the All Things Go music festival, where Roan is slated to perform in September, calling the singer “anti Jewish” and claiming the Maryland festival was celebrating the events of October 7.
Has anyone asked her why she hates Jewish people so much?
— Alex (@ferrarimanf355) July 16, 2024
Though most who voice this notion have provided little proof, it seems to stem from her apparent stance on Israel.
In June, while onstage at the annual Governor’s Ball music festival in New York City, Roan revealed that she had been invited to perform at the White House for Pride month but had turned down the invitation, stating that until she felt there was “liberty, freedom and justice for all,” she would not go. Though it is unclear what exactly Roan was referring to, many fans have interpreted her words as support for the Palestinian cause due to an earlier moment in the same show when the singer, coated in green body paint as part of a Statue of Liberty-inspired outfit, called for “freedom for all oppressed people in occupied territories.”
Roan has also raised money for organizations contributing to relief efforts in Gaza. In an April 7 Instagram story caption, the singer asked fans to donate friendship bracelets at her merch table. The post explained that the bracelets would be resold, and all money raised would be donated to Mercy-USA. That nonprofit has a long-standing partnership with UNRWA—the UN relief agency some of whose staffers have been accused of supporting Hamas—and is currently raising funds for families in Gaza, Yemen and Syria, among other causes.
Of course, supporting freedom from oppression or Palestinian relief efforts is confirmation neither that someone is Jewish nor antisemitic. Regardless (and with special sympathies to CartoonsHateHer), it seems this Midwest Princess simply isn’t Jewish American. And while her religious identity may continue to be an object of speculation, her popularity certainly can’t be.
Top image: Chappell Roan at the Hollywood Palladium on November 18, 2022 (Credit: Justin Higuchi via Flickr/CC BY 2.0)