Alanis Morissette Claims She Withdrew From Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Performance Due to Sexism and Disrespect Among Production Team.
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette has come forward to explain why she dropped out of a performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday night, where she was scheduled to perform a duet of the classic hit “You’re So Vain” with Olivia Rodrigo as part of a tribute to inductee Carly Simon.
Morissette did take part in rehearsals on Friday before leaving.
Morissette left some mystery in a post on her Instagram Live account about what soured her so much during those rehearsals that she left the show at the last minute, despite being listed on all the in-house schedules for the epic show right up until Saturday night’s filming.
However, Morissette stated emphatically that whatever she encountered while still on-site triggered long-simmering feelings about “an overarching anti-woman sentiment” in the industry.
And she appeared to blame the telecast’s production team, implying that whatever she experienced there was in stark contrast to “countless incredible experiences with production teams of all genders throughout my life.”
There are conflicting accounts behind the scenes of what went wrong during the rehearsal, with multiple sources claiming that Morissette “struggled with the song” during a run-through, resulting in the discord and eventual walkout.
Sources close to Morissette dispute that assessment, claiming that Morissette and Rodrigo were in the early stages of rehearsing the song with the house band on Friday.
Morissette issued the following statement on her Instagram account on Monday:
“There have been some rumours that I did not perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this past weekend.
“First and foremost, I must express my admiration for Carly Simon, Olivia Rodrigo, Dolly Parton, Janet Jackson, Pat Benatar, Sheryl Crow, Pink, Brandi Carlile, and Sara Bareilles — and all the amazing people and artists who were there,” she wrote, naming the majority of the female artists who were honoured or performed on the show.
“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,” Morissette continued.
I tolerated it because nothing could keep me from connecting with those I cared about and with whom I resonated.
I live to serve and connect with people, and I’ve sucked it up on more occasions than I can count over the years to do so.
It’s difficult not to be affected by any industry in the world, but Hollywood has a reputation for disrespecting the feminine in all of us.”
“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,” the singer-songwriter concluded.
Throughout my life, I have had countless incredible experiences with production teams of all genders.
There are so many, and they are all so much fun.
Nothing beats a diverse group of people working together on a common goal.
I’ll keep showing up in those places with bells on.:)”
Alanis Morissette’s statement about dropping out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony
Morissette ended her statement with a timely reminder: “Voting time!
“I adore you.”
The induction ceremony was being taped at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theatre for later broadcast on HBO in November.
Because no official lineup had been announced, the majority of the audience was unaware that Morissette would be performing alongside Rodrigo.
Nonetheless, the subtleties of the timing in the Simon tribute may have appeared strange.
The musical performance (which did not include the stage-shy Simon herself) began with Sara Bareilles singing a very shortened version of the hit “Nobody Does It Better,” one of many abridgements made to fit medleys into limited time slots.
However, Rodrigo’s rendition of “You’re So Vain” lasted longer than “Nobody” or the majority of the other solo performances of songs that were crammed into the show.
Variety has reached out to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame representatives for an official response to Morissette’s claims.
Representatives for the Hall did not respond to requests for comment on the singer’s departure over the weekend.
The singer made it clear in her statement that her beef was not with her planned duet partner, Rodrigo.
The intergenerational performers have a happy history of mutual support, having participated in a Rolling Stone “Musicians on Musicians” conversation just over a year ago, and Rodrigo recently inducted Morissette into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.