Jack White accepts White Stripes Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction as Meg sends her apologies

Jack White attends the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Peacock Theater on November 08, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

(Image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for RRHOF)

Jack White accepted The White Stripes' induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame tonight (Saturday, November 8) as Meg White gave her apologies for her absence.

Singer/guitarist Jack was flying solo at the Rock Hall event at the Theater in Los Angeles, California, as his former bandmate and ex-wife Meg was a no-show.

The White Stripes were introduced by Iggy Pop before Jack told the audience: "Today the White Stripes are proud to represent the sound of Detroit punk and garage rock, and all of those bands and artists" and added that Meg was "very sorry she couldn't make it here tonight."

He said that Meg had helped him write the acceptance speech and added: "She's very grateful to all of the folks who supported her through all the years. It really means a lot to her tonight."

The White Stripes officially split in 2011 and last performed together in 2009. Meg has remained largely out of the public eye since.

Bad Company, Soundgarden, The White Stripes and Joe Cocker were joined in the Performer category by Chubby Checker, Cyndi Lauper and Outkast, while Salt N Pepa and Warren Zevon were inducted via the Musical Influence category.

Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers pulled out of the ceremony earlier this week for health reasons. They were honoured by Aerosmith's Joe Perry, Nancy Wilson of Heart, Bryan Adams, Black Crowes' Chris Robinson and Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood.

In his speech, Fleetwood said: "Paul is the voice that every rock singer holds as their north star. To listen to a Bad Company song is to hear a once-in-a-lifetime voice take rock music to new heights.

"Bad Company was grounded in the blues, but also created uniform, unforgettable pop melodies. They helped define the musical path ahead for rock music."

Soundgarden were inducted after a speech by actor and comedian Jim Carrey, who described them as "one of the most majestic, powerful and influential bands ever."

Late frontman Chris Cornell’s daughter, Toni, paid tribute to her father as the Seattle grunge pioneers were inducted. She was joined onstage at the ceremony by Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson for an acoustic version of the band’s 1994 hit Fell On Black Days.

Soundgarden also performed at the ceremony, where they were joined by The Pretty Reckless singer Taylor Momsen for a version of Rusty Cage and Brandi Carlisle for Black Hole Sun.

The ceremony was brought to a close by an all-star jam in tribute to 2025 inductee, the late Joe Cocker.

Tedeschi Trucks Band, Nathaniel Rateliff and Teddy Swims were joined by Chris Robinson, Bryan Adams and Cyndi Lauper for a performance of With a Little Help From My Friends.

Artists

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.

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