Alanis Morissette Skipped Her Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Performance Because Of Sexism And Mistreatment
The "You Oughta Know" singer explained why she bowed out.
After singer Alanis Morissette was a no show for her scheduled performance — a duet to the song “You’re So Vain” with pop singer Olivia Rodrigo — during the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame induction of legendary singer Carly Simon, fans wondered what happened at the last minute to make her cancel her appearance.
The “You Oughta Know” singer, 48, has now come forward to explain that sexism while working through the rehearsals and planning the performance caused her to drop out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday night.
In a post on her Instagram Live account, Morissette didn’t reveal too much as to why she decided to bow out of the performance seemingly at the last minute. She was even listed on all the in-house schedules for the show right up to Saturday night’s filming of the induction, thus suspicion that something had come up suddenly during rehearsals to make her change her mind.
Finally, Morissette set the record straight via a statement she posted on her Instagram stories. She wanted to make it clear that her decision to skip the performance had nothing to do with Rodrigo, Simon, or any of the other female artists in attendance that night. In fact, she says she adores them.
However, Morissette continued, “I have spent decades in an industry that is rife with an overarching anti-woman sentiment and have tolerated a lot of condescension and disrespectfulness, reduction, dismissiveness, contract-breaching, [unsupportiveness], exploitation and psychological violence (and more) throughout my career,” she wrote.
“I tolerated it because nothing would stop me from connecting with those who I cared about and resonated with. I live to serve and connect with people and so over the years I sucked it up on more occasions than I can count in order to do so. It’s hard not to be affected in any industry around the world, but Hollywood has been notorious for its disrespect of the feminine in all of us.”
The mother of three children — Ever, 11, Onyx, 6, and Winter, 3, whom she shares with husband and DJ Mario Treadway — ended the explanation noting that she is now at a point in her life where she has no time to waste in places where people will treat her less then and “reduces women.”
“Thankfully, I am at a point in my life where there is no need for me to spend time in an environment that reduces women. I have had countless incredible experiences with production teams with all genders throughout my life. So many, and so fun. There is nothing better than a team of diverse people coming together with one mission. I’ll continue to show up in those environments with bells on. :)”
However Alanis felt about the mistreatment and sexism behind the scenes, the show went on. Rodrigo sang “You’re So Vain,” solo. Other musicians featured during the special music-focused evening included Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, Pink, and inductees Pat Benatar, Carly Simon, and Dolly Parton. The ceremony will air in late November on HBO.
Morissette’s brave moment of standing up to the patriarchy seems like a step in the right direction for women in the industry and women in general. If more popular female musicians stood up and took themselves out of the lineup, maybe they’d be paid (pun intended) the respect they deserve. Not to mention that women basically are the music industry.
Morissette is no stranger to being open and honest about how she is feeling when it comes to her music, motherhood, and the world around her. In a personal blog from 2019, she opened up about her battles with postpartum depression with all three of her children. The singer shared she was experiencing, “Sleep deprivation. Fogginess. Physical pain. Isolation. Anxiety. Cortisol. Recovery from childbirth.”
Morissette said the process of bringing a new baby home and integrating him into the family, as well as being a wife, certain PTSD triggers, and the general overstimulation of being a mom all played a role in her PPD.
Morissette really is a great example of a brave, honest woman who is not afraid to tell it like it is and continue an open dialogue about all the complicated feelings and situations that women have to navigate.
