Chappell Roan’s 2026 Grammys look sparks “nipple ring dress” debate on red carpet

Chappell Roan arrived at the 2026 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in a sheer, wine-red gown suspended from prominent nipple-ring hardware—an instantly viral red carpet moment that set off both admiration and backlash. The look, custom-made for her and styled as a couture reference, became one of the night’s most discussed outfits, alongside a handful of other headline-making appearances, including Jamie Foxx’s high-contrast suit-and-hat combination.

The 68th annual ceremony took place Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, with red carpet arrivals rolling through the early evening and the main telecast following later that night.

The “nipple ring dress” and what it was referencing

Roan’s outfit was a sheer maroon/burgundy design widely described as “frontless” and “backless,” with fabric draped and anchored by ring-like attachments at the chest. The styling leaned deliberately theatrical, including an outer layer that she removed for the full reveal once cameras were on her.

Fashion coverage tied the design to a late-1990s couture-era silhouette, updated for a 2026 red carpet moment and executed in a way that matched Roan’s persona: campy, confrontational, and meticulously staged to dominate the photo line.

Chappell Roan’s response to the controversy

After the ceremony, Roan addressed the reaction with a casual tone, suggesting she didn’t see the outfit as especially shocking and encouraging people to lean into personal choice. She positioned the look as part of a playful, “weird” fashion language rather than a provocation for its own sake.

The split reaction was predictable: supporters praised it as high-fashion performance art and a body-autonomy statement; critics framed it as attention-seeking or inappropriate for a mainstream broadcast event. The bigger point is that Roan has built her rise on making those lines blurry—where sincerity, satire, glamour, and discomfort can all exist in the same frame.

What she was nominated for at the 2026 Grammys

Roan arrived this year as more than a red carpet storyline. She was nominated in two major categories for her single “The Subway”:

• Record of the Year

• Best Pop Solo Performance

She did not win those categories on the night, but the nominations reinforced her shift from “breakout” status into sustained, top-tier pop recognition—especially notable given how quickly her profile expanded over the last two award cycles.

Who is Chappell Roan, and why “Pink Pony Club” still follows her

Chappell Roan is a pop singer-songwriter whose music blends big hooks with theatrical, character-driven performance. She broke into the widest mainstream conversation through a run of vivid live appearances and a rapidly expanding fan base that treated her shows as part concert, part costumed spectacle.

Her signature track “Pink Pony Club” remains a cultural calling card. Even as her newer releases push her deeper into awards contention, that song still anchors the way many casual viewers identify her: maximalist stagecraft, queer-coded joy, and a willingness to lean into camp without winking it away.

Roan won Best New Artist at the 2025 Grammys, a milestone that helped set up her 2026 return as a major-category nominee rather than a newcomer.

More Grammys fashion: Jamie Foxx and the night’s “look at me” lane

Roan wasn’t alone in turning fashion into a headline. Jamie Foxx drew attention on the carpet with a patterned suit and a sculptural hat that prompted plenty of double-takes from photographers and viewers. He also attended with his daughters, a red carpet detail that added to the moment’s visibility.

While Roan’s look landed in the “couture shock-and-awe” category, Foxx’s was more classic celebrity punctuation: bold accessories, clean tailoring, and a style choice designed to read instantly in a crowded arrivals field.

What the Roan moment says about Grammys red carpet culture now

The 2026 red carpet reinforced a shift that’s been building for years: awards-show fashion is increasingly designed for rapid, shareable debate rather than quiet elegance. A single look can become a mini news cycle, complete with think pieces, reaction clips, and follow-up statements.

Roan is particularly suited to that environment because she treats fashion as part of the art, not a separate layer. Whether viewers loved or hated the dress, the outcome was the same: it became a defining image of the night, and it kept her at the center of the conversation as soon as the arrivals began.

Sources consulted: Recording Academy; Vogue; Entertainment Weekly; Los Angeles Times