Adam Levine Reacts To Fan Grabbing Him During Performance: 'I Was Really Startled'

KEY POINTS

Adam Levine said he was "startled" when the fan grabbed him on stage
His critics had said he should be "humble" toward his fans
Levine said he loves, worships and respects his fans

Singer Adam Levine has finally spoken out about how a recent run-in with a fan left him "really startled."

The incident was captured on a now-viral TikTok video, which showed a fan rushing on to the stage and grabbing to Levine during his Maroon 5's performance of “Sunday Morning” at the Audacy’s 8th Annual "We Can Survive concert" of the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Oct. 23.

In the clip, the singer is visibly caught off-guard, mouthing “f**k,” before walking away as the fan gets escorted out of the stage. “Adam Levine was not having it,” said the TikTok user who uploaded the video, which has earned at least 8 million views as of this writing.

Levine was criticized on social media following the incident, with many people asking him to be more “humble” toward fans.

The singer responded to the criticism on Tuesday via an Instagram Story. “I have always been someone that loves, respects, worships our fans,” Levine told his followers. “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. That’s just not who I am. That’s not who I’ve ever been,” he continued.

“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 cause I’m doing my job up there. It’s what I pride myself on. 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,” Levine explained.

Towards the end of the clip, he pleaded with his fans to try to understand where he’s coming from and blew a kiss to the camera.

Another full video of the incident had shown Levine knocking over his mic stand as he walked toward the opposite end of the stage to continue his performance after the fan was taken off stage by security. “Adam Levine was a whole mood yesterday,” the TikTok user captioned the post.