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WARNING: the following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm
Maroon 5 vocalist Adam Levine officially released a statement in regards to a fan incident that occurred at a recent Maroon 5 performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California.
Free broadcast and internet radio streaming platform Audacy was holding their 8th annual fundraising event at the Hollywood Bowl. The event, known as We Can Survive, has popular bands perform to raise money for suicide awareness.
Maroon 5 had been performing "Sunday Morning," a track appearing on the band's album Songs About Jane, when a female fan jumped on stage during the chorus and grabbed Levine in a side hug.
The incident was recorded and subsequently posted on TikTok.
Watch the video here:
@luispenaloza9525 Adam Levine was a whole mood yesterday💀 #Fyp #ForYou #Maroon5 #AdamLevine #Hollywood #HollywoodBowl
The fan was pulled off Levine by concert security, but not before Levine expressed shock and uttered an expletive. After the fan was removed, Levine could be seen shaking off the incident, but clearly thrown off guard.
The TikTok went viral.
Some fans were offended at Levine's reaction to the incident. They argued the band had a disdainful opinion of their fans and viewed fans as being "beneath them."
@luispenaloza9525/TikTok
@luispenaloza9525/TikTok
@luispenaloza9525/TikTok
@luispenaloza9525/TikTok
Others, however, defended Levine's reaction.
@luispenaloza9525/TikTok
@luispenaloza9525/TikTok
@luispenaloza9525/TikTok
@luispenaloza9525/TikTok
Since the internet outrage, Levine posted a video on his Instagram stories to address the hurt feelings over his reaction to being grabbed by the fan.
Watch his response here:
In his video, Levine said:
"I just wanted to address the Hollywood Bowl incident thing, a fan coming up to me onstage."
"I have always been someone that loves, respects, worships our fans. Without our fans, we don't have a job. I say that all the time to our fans."
"To think that anyone would believe that I thought that our fans were beneath us or less than us makes my stomach turn. It's just not who I am, it's not who I've ever been."
He continued:
"So I just need you guys to know, I was really startled."
"And sometimes when you're startled, you have to shake it off and move on, cos I'm doing my job up there. It's what I pride myself on."
"So I need to let you guys know what my heart is, and my heart is that connection that exists between the band performing onstage and the fans. I hope we can all understand that."
Levine's response video garnered sympathy from his fans.
Consent should be a simple concept to grasp, but too many people disregard it when certain conditions are met.
We need to recognize as a society that everyone has a right to body autonomy and consent is needed before we violate that.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/