Sadly, this will be one of those stories that is terrifying but not surprising in the slightest. Jewel is Jewel -- I won't beat you over the head with a long, unnecessary intro telling you who Jewel is. What you need to know is this: she's had a long, successful career. And with that success has come many strange, scary encounters with "fans" throughout the years.
In a TikTok video, Jewel laid it all on the line, discussing everything from stalkers to her support of Chappell Roan. Fresh off the start of her career at the age of 21, Jewel already had to deal with stalkers. "It was so scary. This person was leaving firebombs outside my house. I was getting death threats saying I would be shot from the stage," Jewel explained.
"I've had hundreds of stalkers in my career, and it's not OK. It made me step back from my own career. I quit after 'Spirit,' after 'Hands,' because it was just too much."
Jewel went on to say that it wasn't until she started drawing hard lines in the sand and setting boundaries that she was able to find peace with her fanbase.
Jewel Speaks Out About Aggressive, Persistent Stalkers
"That was so nice. It made me feel so safe. I could choose to take a picture safely. But the amount of times I was chased in airports because I wouldn't stop, because if I stop once, a mob would happen. I remember a guy calling me a 'b--ch,' yelling at me through the airport, 'F--ing b--ch. You think you're all that?' We shouldn't make people feel unsafe."
Often, we treat celebrities like props or objects to be "consumed and enjoyed." There's nothing wrong with an artist's work resonating deeply with you! But remember that at the end of the day, you're still dealing with people. Jewel ends the video on that exact note, actually!
"I hope you all know that everybody is worthy of compassion. Even if you're rich. Even if you're famous. We must show, if that's a value of ours, to have compassion, to be tolerant, we have to be willing to understand the joys and the struggles of other people's lives."
