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Adam Levine Addresses Fan Grabbing Him During Maroon 5 Performance: 'I Was Really Startled'

adam levine
adam levine

adam levine/instagram

Adam Levine is speaking out after a fan grabbed him during a Maroon 5 performance at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday.

While the band was performing their hit song "Sunday Morning" at the Audacy's 8th Annual We Can Survive concert, a female concertgoer rushed the stage and grabbed onto the 42-year-old's arm in the middle of the song.

TikTok user Luis Peñaloza recorded the incident, which has since garnered over 8 million views.

In the video, the singer appeared visibly shocked as he physically shook off the fan at the Los Angeles concert. As security escorted her offstage, the Maroon 5 frontman could be seen mouthing the word "f---."

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Levine knocked over his mic stand as he walked to the opposite end of the stage and continued singing, seen in another fan's full video.

RELATED: Adam Levine Is Unimpressed After Fan Rushes at Him During Maroon 5 Performance: Watch

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On Tuesday, Levine broke his silence on the incident with a post to his Instagram Story.

"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," he told his followers.

His reaction at the Oct. 23 event had many TikTok users criticizing his response, calling for him to be more "humble" toward fans.

On his Instagram Story, Levine continued, "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."

The former Voice coach went on to defend his reaction by saying, "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."

He continued, "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 that we can all understand that," Levine concluded before blowing a kiss to the camera.

After the incident, some fans came to Levine's defense on TikTok. One user commented, "Nope. How about we stop defending people touching other people without consent ✌️."