Avril Lavigne shut down a topless protester who crashed the stage at the 52nd Juno Awards in Edmonton on Monday evening.
As the Canadian pop-punk star was presenting, a topless woman hopped onto the stage with the phrases ‘Save the Greenbelt’ and ‘Land Back’ scrawled on their body.
She was apparently attempting to draw attention to Ontario’s plans to develop portions of the greenbelt.
@iheartradioca A streaker just jumped on stage while @Avril Lavigne was introducing @AP Dhillon at the #junos 😱😳 Can’t say I expected that, but Avril handled that like a BOSS! #avrillavigne #avril #apdhillon #junoawards
Quickly telling the protester to vacate the stage, Lavigne said: “Get the f**k off, get the f**k off, b**tch.”
In a written statement, the Junos told ET Canada: “The JUNO Awards is a celebration of Canadian music and the artists who make it. We take every step to avoid interruptions to our program, but there are always risks with live events and broadcasts. We hope tonight’s brief disruption doesn’t take away from the accomplishments of this year’s performers, winners and nominees.”
#REPORT: Avril Lavigne kicks topless woman protesting Ontario Greenbelt development off Junos stage. pic.twitter.com/RrctclwpZ8
— Straightouttathe6ixtv (@sot6ixtv) March 14, 2023
Later in the evening, as Avril accepted the TikTok Juno fan choice award, she referenced the incident, warning against any more stunts. “The Canadian’s going to come out of me and I’m going to f**k a b**ch up,” joked the “Complicated” singer.
Of Lavigne’s savage handling, actor Simu Liu, who was hosting the Junos for a second time, said: “Give her an award for handling the topless lady like a champion.”
Earlier in the show, Liu went full Avril with a medley of her hits.
"This one is for you Avril!"@SimuLiu goes full Avril with a medley of her hits that even has @AvrilLavigne grabbing her phone to record the action
Which one was your favourite? #JUNOS pic.twitter.com/sXGSsPtVdC
— CBC Music (@CBCMusic) March 14, 2023