Much like her hit song, Avril Lavigne once again found herself asking “What the Hell” at the 2023 Juno Awards after things got pretty… complicated onstage.
During the live Junos telecast, which took place on Monday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, the beloved Canadian pop-punk artist took to the stage to introduce a performance by AP Dhillon, when a topless protester crashed the party.
Related: Here’s to never growing up: Avril Lavigne’s style evolution.
In the midst of Lavigne’s intro, a woman stormed onto the stage with her body covered in messages like “Save the Green Belt” – which appears to be in direct response to a housing development plan from the government of Ontario, CTV News explains.
While the woman stood directly behind her, the “Sk8er Boi” singer attempted to continue with her speech, before eventually turning to the protester and yelling at her to, “Get the f*** off, b*tch.”
At that exact moment, security appeared on stage to escort the protester away.
Avril Lavigne wins the Fan Choice Award at the Junos
Later in the evening, Lavigne won the Fan Choice Award where she was quick to make a joke about the protester during her acceptance speech.
“Now nobody try anything this time,” the artist teased, according to E! News. “Or the Canadian will come out in me and I’ll f*** a b*tch up.”
Host of the evening, Simu Liu, was in awe of Lavigne after “handling that topless lady like a champion.”
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