Sarah McLachlan refused to perform at the premiere for the new Disney documentary, Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, in a sign of solidarity with Jimmy Kimmel amid his ongoing suspension.Sarah McLachlan refused to perform at the premiere for the new Disney documentary, Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, in a sign of solidarity with Jimmy Kimmel amid his ongoing suspension.

Prior to the premiere, which took place on September 21st, the red carpet was cancelled for the event. Disney is the parent company of ABC, which took Jimmy Kimmel Live off air indefinitely last week following remarks he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death.

Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, which has now been released, tells the story of the music festival which McLachlan founded in the late 1990s that focused on female musical talent.

In her introduction, McLachlan told those in attendance for the premiere in Los Angeles: “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, 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.”

The musician 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 a way through, and though I don’t begin to know what the answer is, I believe we all need to work towards a softening to let in the possibility of a better way, because I see music as a bridge to our shared humanity, to finding common ground.”

She then explained that neither she nor Jewel would be taking to the stage as initially planned, stating, “I apologise if this is disappointing, but we have collectively decided not to perform but instead to stand in solidarity in support of free speech. Thank you for your understanding.”

Kimmel was suspended from ABC on September 17th, hours before his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, was set to be broadcast, following pressure from the FCC, the Sinclair Group and Nexstar Media.

The comedian, who has been hosting the nightly programme since 2003, has remained tight-lipped about his suspension and ABC have yet to reveal if he will be brought back.