Adam Levine has spoken out amid backlash over a viral video of him negatively responding to a fan who touched him.
This interaction took place while the “Maroon 5” star and his band were performing “Sunday Morning” at Audacy’s 8th yearly “We Can Survive” concert.
At the Los Angeles concert, an audience member caught the singer’s interaction with the fan and shared the video with the public.
Under Fire For His Behavior
PEOPLE reported that on October 23, as the performance of “Sunday Morning” went on, a starstruck blonde female hurried onto the stage and hugged Levine’s arm.
This was seen in the clip uploaded to TikTok by a user named Luis Peñaloza, who wrote on the video, “Adam Levine was not having it.”
In the video, which has been viewed over 8 million times, the lead vocalist was taken aback. He shook his body and walked on, looking appalled.
The bold lady was then escorted offstage by security. Levine could be seen mouthing “f—” as she was taken away while looking towards the audience in disbelief.
The 42-year-old fell his mic stand and continued singing at the other end of the stage, probably to avoid the woman who touched him. This was captured in a 6-minute YouTube video uploaded by Barry King.
Both videos have raised heavy backlash from viewers who believe the artist looked down on his fan. Others think that the lady was in the wrong for touching him.
Clearing The Air
On October 26, Levine decided he could no longer keep quiet over the incident and took to his Instagram Story to defend himself.
The “Animals” star appeared in a white hoodie, looking solemn. He explained that he has always loved, respected, and worshiped his fans who keep him in business.
In response to TikTok users asking him to be humble, Levine said that it makes his stomach turn to think anyone believes he considers his fans beneath him.
“That’s just not who I am. That’s not who I’ve ever been,” said Levine. He pleaded that he was startled and had to shake it off and move on.
The “One More Night” star added that he had to move on because he was doing his job up on stage, and he prides himself on that.
Forgetting His Lyrics
This is not the first time that Levine has had a concert mishap. In August, the singer suffered a case of brain fart during a Maroon 5 concert held at American Family Insurance Amphitheater.
The Blast reported that Fans had requested the band’s 2002 hit, “She Will Be Loved.” The lead vocalist began with the second verse then struggled with some lyrics.
Levine had to stop and engage his fans in a hilarious interaction about how this was the first time he forgot his lyrics in 20 years.
After the audience laughed off the situation, the singer started over, and everyone sang along in great spirits.
