Soft-Rock Star Protest-Cancels Performance At Premiere Of Film About Her

Folk-rock star Sarah McLachlan announced at the Sunday premiere of a Hulu documentary about her that she would not perform as scheduled to protest the “muzzling” of free speech.

She did not mention the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show by Disney but given that Disney companies Hulu and ABC News Studios are behind the project, one might connect the dots.

“I know you’re expecting a performance tonight, and I’m so grateful to all of you for coming, and I apologize if this is disappointing, but we have collectively decided not to perform but instead to stand in solidarity in support of free speech,” McLachlan said to cheers in a clip shared by The Hollywood Reporter’s Chris Gardner.

In a move that has ignited a furor over censorship, Disney yanked ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from the air amid pressure from Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission over comments the host made about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer.

McLachlan was on hand for “Lilith Fair: Building A Mystery” at the Ford in Los Angeles. She co-founded the women-focused concert tour that spread music and empowerment in the late 1990s.

“It’s a gift for all of us to see [this film], but also I’ve grappled with being here tonight and around what to say about the present situation that we are all faced with, the stark contraction to the many advances we’ve made watching the insidious erosion of women’s rights, of trans and queer rights, the muzzling of free speech,” McLachlan said.

“I think we’re all fearful for what comes next, and none of us know, but what I do know is that I have to keep pushing forward as an artist, as a woman to find a way through, and though I don’t begin to know what the answer is, I believe we all need to work towards a softening to let in the possibility of a better way, because I see music as a bridge to our shared humanity, to finding common ground.”

HuffPost has reached out to reps for Jewel and Rodrigo for comment.