For the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Alanis Morissette was paired to do a duet of “You’re So Vain” with Olivia Rodrigo. At the last minute, Morissette dropped out of performing the Carly Simon classic. Rodrigo performed it solo during the November 5th ceremony.
Morissette participated in rehearsals with Rodrigo, so this left many scratching their heads as to why. “When she ran through it the first time with Olivia, it seemed like they weren’t prepared,” an insider claimed. This led some to speculate that the singer may just not be up to the tune. That’s when Morissette took to her Instagram story to clarify some things.
“There are some mis-informed rumblings about my not performing at The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this past weekend,” she wrote in the now-deleted story. “Firstly, I have to say how much I adore Carly Simon and Olivia Rodrigo and Dolly Parton and Janet Jackson and Pat Benetar and Sheryl Crow and Pink and Brandi Carlile and Sara Bareilles–and all the amazing people and artists who were there.” Luckily there didn’t seem to be any rumors about infighting between all of those mega-star performers and inductees.
“I 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.” Which explains her clarification of her love for her fellow female performers. “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,” she elaborated.
While Morissette admits she “tolerated it” in the past when she was yonger and less established. “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. ” While she doesn’t provide any specific instances of issues with the ceremony staff. The passage “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.” Makes it clear there was some kind of issue with the event itself that caused her to leave.
Morissette may feel the need to give more details in the future, or she may not. Either way, her statement about her absence stopped some of the rumor mills. Her being a huge name and walking away when she experienced some form of sexism is a powerful statement. Especially to younger performers and those with smaller audiences.
The 2022 Rock Hall induction ceremony will be available to stream on HBO Max November 19th, 2022.
