Singer/songwriter Jewel apologized to the LGBTQ+ community for having "caused pain" following her performance at the inauguration for RFK Jr., Republican President Donald Trump's pick for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Jewel performed “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” at the event for RFK Jr.'s “Make America Healthy Again” ball, which many LGBTQ+ members felt was a slap in the face, especially after Trump instituted the effective banning of Pride flags at U.S. government facilities and called for the federal government only to recognize two genders, male or female.
On Friday, Jewel took to Instagram and said, “I am so sorry that some of my longtime fans feel that I let them down."
She continued to express support for the marginalized community, saying:
“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. And I will not stop fighting. None of us can afford to stop fighting, and I really believe that the only way we change is in relationship."
"It isn’t in isolation or by isolating, it’s by being in a relationship, by reaching out, by having hard conversations," said the Grammy nominee, adding, "And I really hope that we can push through our hurt and move toward understanding on both sides."
Earlier in the Instagram video, the "Who Will Save Your Soul" singer rationalized her decision to perform for RFK Jr., a vocal anti-vaxxer and known conspiracy theorist, by identifying herself as a "mental health advocate."
"If there’s anything that I’ve learned in the past 20 years, it’s that mental health affects everybody’s lives, across party lines," she said.
Jewel noted that she reached out to the last administration and spoke with the surgeon general about the mental health crisis in the U.S. and was disheartened to learn about the "bleak" data that "1 in 4 kids" are considering taking their life.
She continued:
“I believe I can help, and if I believe I can help, I have to try. 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," she said of Trump's second term in the White House.
Jewel maintained there were people in the current administration "that are willing to help on this issue, and I do not agree on all the politics."
Said Jewel:
"But if I can help shape policy, make sure mental health is in the conversation when it comes to American health, if I can help put resources or mental health tools into the hands of the most vulnerable who need it, I’m going to try, and I’m going to fight.”
"And I understand that my words were overly simplistic," acknowledged the Grammy nominee.
She also touched on the polarization in the country amidst political unease, explaining:
"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."
Her video failed to resonate with many viewers.
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Jewel did not publicly endorse a candidate in the 2024 election but she has participated in a variety of causes in Washington D.C. on several occasions, including testifying before the Senate about youth homelessness, and delivering more than 12 million petition signatures to Capitol Hill, urging Congress to pass the bipartisan Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2005.
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