Sarah McLachlan, the founder of Lilith Fair, speaks about her experiences in the Hulu/Disney+ documentary, "Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery - The Untold Story," premiering Sept. 21, 2025.

Sarah McLachlan canceled a performance scheduled for a screening of a new documentary chronicling the impact of Lilith Fair, the music festival she founded.

The move, she said, was meant to show support for "free speech," seemingly in connection with ABC's decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel off the air after comments in his late-night monologue drew ire from the Trump administration's Federal Communications Commission. The documentary, "Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery - The Untold Story," premiered on Disney+ and Hulu Sept. 21. The streaming services both belong under the Disney umbrella, the parent company for ABC.

In a speech at the screening, McLachlan revealed that her performance, and several others, would not go on as planned.

"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," she said in her speech, video of which was shared on social media. "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."

She continued: "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 the way through. 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."

The singer's announcement was met with widespread applause, for which she thanked the audience.

The documentary explores the history of the groundbreaking festival, which sold out amphitheaters nationwide for three consecutive summers with lineups including Sheryl Crow, The Indigo Girls, Bonnie Raitt, Liz Phair, Paula Cole, Suzanne Vega and Erykah Badu.

The event was McLachlan's answer to the frustration she and other singers felt in the late-'90s when radio programmers were refusing to play songs from female artists in succession and concert promoters were reluctant to have more than one woman on a bill.

"Certainly the idea that women couldn't be played back to back on radio or be together on a bill no longer exists," the artist told USA TODAY ahead of the film's premiere. "We changed the face of the industry in that sense. We proved them wrong."

Whether the artists who stood in solidarity with McLachlan at the premiere were fellow Lilith performers remains unknown; the full line-up was not revealed. USA TODAY has reached out to McLachlan's reps for comment.

Sarah McLachlan comments come amid firestorm over Jimmy Kimmel suspension

Her decision comes as many have canceled their Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions in support of Kimmel, whose late-night program was preempted "indefinitely" after he seemingly implied that the man who shot conservative commentator Charlie Kirk earlier this month was a member of the MAGA movement.

The suspect, now identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, held increasingly left-leaning views in recent years, his mother has since shared. Following criticism from FCC chair Brendan Carr, the companies that own many of ABC's local affiliate stations announced they would no longer air Kimmel's program. In response, ABC suspended its flagship late-night show.

Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sarah McLachlan pulls out of performance for Disney doc amid Jimmy Kimmel fallout

Reporting by Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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