Avril Lavigne confronted a topless protestor at the Juno Awards

Well, that’s not very punk! Avril Lavigne, who made chipped nail polish and smudged eyeliner cool for a generation of middle schoolers, has seemingly switched sides and now works for the Man. We’re kidding—but while onstage at the 2023 Juno Awards on Monday, March 13, the “Sk8er Boi” singer did tell a topless protestor to “get the f*** off, bitch.” So another way of looking at this is that she handled a weird moment professionally. It’s, to borrow Lavigne’s word, complicated!

Lavigne was onstage not to perform but to introduce musician AP Dhillon when a woman wearing pink pants, a pink bandana, and heart-shaped nipple pasties joined her. The activist gets a chance to speak to the audience, but with “Save the Greenbelt” and “Land Back” written on her body, she made her point clear. (Also, with the glasses…Kyrsten Sinema vibes, no?) Watch the moment here.

People reported that the action was to protest a land development project that would erect 50,000 new homes on formerly protected land in the next two years. (Here’s more on the issue if you’re interested.) 

Lavigne managed not to lose her cool and continued with her planned remarks while security tried to hustle the woman away. She eventually addressed the stage crasher with a pointed “Get the f*** off…. Get the f*** off, bitch.” The singer seemed more annoyed than angry, honestly. Imagine if Taylor had pulled this line on Kanye back in the day.

Later, accepting the TikTok Juno Fan Award (sure!), Lavigne referenced the earlier incident, quipping, “Now, nobody try anything this time, or the Canadian will come out of me, and I’ll f*** a bitch up.”

Worth remembering that while Canadians have a reputation for politeness, they’re also the people who knock each other’s teeth out during hockey matches. Keep that in mind next time you think about messing with Avril Lavigne!

This story was originally published by GLAMOUR (US).