Sam Smith Under Fire Over Video That Allegedly Shows Fan Being ‘Attacked’ After Asking For A Selfie
Are they in the wrong?
TikTok / Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock A fan of UK singer/songwriter Sam Smith has gone viral after posting a video approaching Smith and their entourage of friends, only for them to insult her and knock her phone away.
The video shows TikTok user Sheima approaching Smith and their group of friends while on a walk in London.
“Sam Smith, I love you,” the fan shouted, holding up her phone in an attempt to get a shot of Smith.
However, the phrase "don't meet your idols" rang true for this fan as she recorded a not-so-positive interaction.
The video appears to show Sam Smith's friend strike a fan.
It appeared that neither Smith or his group of friends wanted to be interrupted by the fan, with one member of the group shouting at Sheima, “Shut the f*** up, ya dumb b****,” while shoving her phone out of her hand.
“Take the video off,” the person continued as the group continued to walk away from her.
Apparently Smith did not intervene in the altercation, and kept walking with their friends.
The fan, clearly upset, can be heard saying, “What the actual f***? I just wanted to say hi,” after the incident.
In another video, someone in the background can be heard telling the fan to shut up, to which she replies, “Don’t tell me to shut up. I love Sam Smith.”
Her video has garnered over two million views since being posted on Dec. 3, and the comments on the video are split between people being upset over how Smith and their friends treated her, and people pointing the finger to the fan who ambushed them.
The commentators that come to Smith’s defense claim that the singer may not have wanted to be recorded while enjoying a night out with friends.
“You can’t blame Sam Smith for someone else’s actions,” a user commented under the TikTok video. “Sam Smith is the most loving person to their fans.”
Though, there are people who feel the exact opposite, saying it’s rude that Smith didn’t intervene and try to stop their friends from being rude.
“‘It’s not Sam Smith’s fault,’ not doing anything when your friends are being bullies is the same as enabling their behavior,” one person commented.
“She behaved like a normal fan and approached them very sweetly. This reaction is unjustified. Sam Smith needs to remember where they came from,” another comment reads.
The fan posted an additional video saying that she didn’t blame Smith, and even after the altercation says she still “loves [them].”
The fan has been criticized for misgendering Sam Smith.
Many viewers noted how the fan had repeatedly misgendered Smith in the comments, although she wrote an apology, stating she didn’t know Smith is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.
Smith came out as nonbinary in March of 2019 on both Instagram and Twitter, firmly stating the pronouns they wish to go by.
After a lifetime of being at war with my gender I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out,” Smith said. “I understand there will be many mistakes and misgendering but all I ask is you please please try.”
Of course, this video and the interaction between Smith and their fan brings the question of celebrities and their right to privacy while out in public.
Is Sam Smith in the wrong for allowing their friends to attack a fan?
At the very least, many people agree that Smith should have at least intervened, especially when their friends were verbally attacking a lone female fan.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Chicago. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.