Alanis Morissette said in a newHBO documentary that she was raped by multiple men when she was 15.- The
Washington Post , which has seen the movie, says she does not name her abusers. - In the movie, Morissette says she did speak up about it but was ignored.
Alanis Morissette has revealed via a new HBO documentary "Jagged" that she was raped by multiple men during her music career, according to a report by The Washington Post which has seen the film.
The documentary follows Morissette's journey to stardom and raises difficult questions about the music industry.
According to the Post, Morissette says in the movie that multiple men engaged in sex with her when she was 15 years old, at the beginning of her career in Canada.
Canada raised the age of consent from 14 to 16 in 2008, however, when Morissette was a teenager the law stated that the age of consent can be higher "when there is a relationship of trust, authority or dependency," the Post reported.
"I'm going to need some help because I never talk about this," Morissette says in the movie. "It took me years in therapy to even admit there had been any kind of victimization on my part. I would always say I was consenting, and then I'd be reminded like 'Hey, you were 15, you're not consenting at 15.' Now I'm like, 'Oh yeah, they're all pedophiles. It's all statutory
Morissette does not name the people she said abused her but does say she tried to tell people beforehand.
The "Ironic" singer said: "I did tell a few people and it kind of fell on deaf ears. It would usually be a stand-up, walk-out-of-the-room moment.
"You know a lot of people say, 'Why did that woman wait 30 years?' And I'm like f--- off. They don't wait 30 years. No one was listening or their livelihood was threatened or their family was threatened. The whole 'why do women wait' thing? Women don't wait. Our culture doesn't listen."
This is not the first time Morissette talked about sexual misconduct in the music industry. She told The Sunday Times in 2020: "Almost every woman in the music industry has been assaulted, harassed, raped. It's ubiquitous - more in music, even, than film. It's just so normalized."
Earlier this year, a study by Midia Research and Tunecore found that almost two-thirds of 401 female music makers from around the world said that sexual harassment or objectification was a major challenge they face.
Morissette also revealed in that interview with The Sunday Times that she had experienced "sexual abuse, exploitation, financial undermining" throughout her life since the age of 3.
In the movie, the Canadian musician said she had not made allegations beforehand to protect her family. "Me not telling specific information about my experience as a teenager was almost solely around wanting to protect - protect my parents, protect my brothers, protect future partners," she said.
According to the Post, Morissette is planning not to attend the premiere of the documentary at the Toronto Film Festival today and appears to be upset with the movie for unspecified reasons.
The director of "Jagged," award-winning documentarian Alison Klayman told the Washington Post that she did not want to speculate on the star's feelings but said: "Of course I wish Alanis could be there. It was a privilege to make this film and I'm really proud of it. Hopefully, there will be other opportunities in the future for her to come to film events."