Reggaeton sensation Bad Bunny tweeted his stance about a video in which he grabbed and threw a fan’s phone away after the woman got close to the performer with the device in hand.
Footage shows the artist walking down a street through a crowd of admirers in the Dominican Republic. A woman in a floral dress sidles up to Bad Bunny with her phone held at arms length, filming them together until the pop star takes her phone and throws it far away.
An off-camera voice shouts “Wow! Really?” and a member of Bunny’s close circle says “You have to respect his space.”
“Anyone who comes up to me to say hello, to tell me something or just to meet me, will always receive my attention and respect,” the artist tweeted Monday night. “Those who come to put a damn phone in my face, I’ll consider that what it is: a lack of respect and I’ll treat it that same way.”
Responses varied from support of the singer defending his boundaries to comparisons to other violations of personal space that did not merit the same reaction. Some joked that it could be an advertisement for the singer’s next single. Others pointed out that he didn’t consider the fan’s situation or feelings.
“Your fans have put you where you are. You don’t know the effort that girl may have made to acquire her phone,” wrote José Salvador. “She looked cheerful because she was going to take a selfie with you and you scorned her. The girl at least deserves an apology.”
Veronica Ruiz del Vizo exercised more sympathy but still questioned Bunny’s behavior.
“It must be immensely demanding to be this famous, and I’m sure the continual expectation will be exhausting,” she wrote. But when one is doing well, life tests the ego and pride. Justifying yourself like this, without empathy and review, is failing your exam.”
