Jewel turned to social media to apologize to her fans after she experienced a backlash over her performance at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again inaugural ball on Monday (Jan. 20), which celebrated Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Jewel turned up unexpectedly at the event to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as a surprise for Kennedy’s wife, Cheryl Hines, Variety reports.
She faced criticism online in the days that followed, as some fans perceived the singer-songwriter and sometimes country singer’s performance as an endorsement of Donald Trump’s incoming administration.
Jewel is a longtime advocate for mental health, and in a video she posted to Instagram on Friday (Jan. 24), she explained that her performance at the event was intended to help further her activism.
“I believe I can help. And if I believe I can help, I have to try,” the singer stated. “And if I wait to try until I agree 100 percent with the people that might be willing to help me, I’d never get off the bench. I don’t think that’s how activism works, waiting until everything’s perfect enough to participate. It’s actually because things are so imperfect that we have to find ways to engage and to participate, and we have to act now. We cannot wait another four years. I believe there are people in the new administration that are willing to help on this issue.”
She went on to say that while she does not “agree on all the politics,” she’s “going to try and I’m going to fight” when it comes to putting resources in front of those who are struggling with their mental health.
“And I understand that my words were overly simplistic,” she added. “Half of our country feels hope right now, and I honor that. And half of our country feels disenfranchised and scared and vulnerable, and that is unacceptable.”
Jewel specifically apologized to her LGBTQIA+ fans who feel marginalized by the incoming Trump administration.
“I am so sorry that I caused pain, especially in my LGBTQIA+ community because you guys are treasures. You make the world a better place. You’ve made my life a better place,” she said, adding that she believes the only way to effect change is by maintaining relationships — even with people she disagrees with.
“It isn’t in isolation or by isolating. It’s by being in relationship, by reaching out, by having hard conversations, and I really hope that we can push through our hurt and move toward understanding on both sides.”
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