24 x 7 World News

Alanis Morissette Reportedly Makes Multiple Statutory Rape Allegations In New Documentary, Refuses To Attend Premiere, Director Responds

0

By Monica Walton.

In a new documentary “Jagged”, which is premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival Tuesday, Alanis Morissette alleges multiple men engaged in underage sex with her at just 15-years-old.

The Canadian singer told The Washington Post it took her “years in therapy” to even admit there had been any kind of victimization on her 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 rape.”

RELATED: Alanis Morissette Opens Up About 2-Year Battle With Postpartum Depression

The alleged abusers are not named but it is assumed the abuse took place in Canada during her early years of fame. The 47-year-old says she issued calls for help which “fell on deaf ears.”

“It would usually be a stand-up, walk-out-of-the-room moment.”

Now in a surprising move, The Post reports Morissette appears to be unhappy with the documentary for unspecified reasons, and is not planning to appear at its Tiff world premiere Tuesday, September 14.

Morissette says that even in instances in which there was no sexual abuse, unwanted sexual advances were common.

“Almost every single person that I would work with, there would be some turning point where the camera would go Dutch angle,” she says, referring to the filmmaking shot that suggests tension or trauma.

She adds it would “either end the relationship” or “then there’d be just some big secret that we’d keep forever.”

Director Alison Klayman stopped by Deadline’s Tiff studio in Toronto on Monday, and spoke about the fact Morissette might not attend the premiere.

“Of course, it would have been great if she could be here with us,” Klayman said, “but I’m so grateful for all the time that she did put into making this film.”

Deadline pointed out that Morissette was currently on tour with Garbage, but there was a break in her tour schedule which would seemingly allow her to attend the bash.

It’s not the first time Morissette has spoken about the issue of sexual misconduct. Last year she told The Sunday Times that “Almost every woman in the music industry has been assaulted, harassed, raped. It’s ubiquitous — more in music, even, than film.”

RELATED: Alanis Morissette Joins Judges Table On ‘Alter Ego’

She says her reluctance on speaking about allegations to this point was in part out of concern for 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 says.

“You know a lot of people say ‘why did that woman wait 30 years? And I’m like f— off,” she says, using an expletive. “They don’t wait 30 years. No one was listening or their livelihood was threatened or their family was threatened,” referring to her failed attempts to tell people about the statutory rapes at the time.

“The whole ‘why do women wait’ thing?” she adds. “Women don’t wait. Our culture doesn’t listen.”

Leave a Reply