Jack White honours “sister” Meg as Olivia Rodrigo, Feist and Twenty One Pilots cover The White Stripes at Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction

Jack White honoured his “sister” Meg White at the White Stripes‘ Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction, which saw Olivia Rodrigo, Feist and Twenty One Pilots cover the band’s classics.

• READ MORE: Jack White – ‘No Name’ review: surprise album is maestro’s punkiest outing since White Stripes

Last night (November 8) saw the annual Rock Hall ceremony take place at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater, with inductees including OutKast, Soundgarden, Cyndi Lauper, Chubby Checker, Bad Company, Joe Cocker and Jack and Meg White.

Iggy Pop gave the induction speech for the latter duo, beginning with a chant of “White Stripes!” before imitating the ‘Seven Nation Army’ riff to “get that out [his] system”. He went on to nod to Meg’s hand in crafting their sound, saying: “I think it was Meg’s support that helped launched the rocket of racket that was Jack White.”

While accepting the honour, Jack said his former bandmate and ex-wife Meg – who wasn’t in attendance and has long avoided the public eye – had helped him write his speech. “I spoke with Meg White the other day,” he said. “She’s very grateful to all the folks who supported her through all the years. It really means a lot to her.”

He then said that she specifically asked him to mention the fact that when they used to walk around together, animals would stare at them. “Even at the Detroit Zoo, an elephant did the exact same thing one time, and she just wanted me to tell you that.”

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The White Stripes formerly themselves as siblings, but, in 2001, proof of their 1996 marriage and divorce in 2000 came to light. However, the duo still insisted that they were siblings, with Jack explaining in a 2005 interview with Rolling Stone: “When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, ‘Oh, I see…’ When they’re brother and sister, you go, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’

“You care more about the music, not the relationship – whether they’re trying to save their relationship by being in a band.”

Last night’s speech saw him list a number of artists who inspired them, including Loretta Lynn, Fugazi, Misfits, The Strokes, Black Flag, and more – notably none of whom have been inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame.

Rounding off his speech, Jack read out a story about the band that he had wanted to send to Meg, who was hearing it for the first time along with the audience.

“I was gonna send this to Meg, but I didn’t get around to it, so I thought I’d read it to you all tonight,” White began. “One time, a girl climbed a tree, and in that tree was a boy — her brother, she thought. And the tree looked so glorious and beautiful, but it was just an oak tree.

“And these two so loved the world that they brought forth a parade float – one they built in their garage behind the oak tree with their own bare hands. And the boy looked at this giant peppermint on wheels and felt pride – pride that it was produced in the Motor City, just like in the big factories – but it was just in their garage. He looked at the girl — his sister, he thought – and, like the Little Rascals, they said, ‘Let’s put on a show.’

“And they paraded this float through the Cass Corridor,” he continued, “standing atop the peppermint pulled by white horses – or maybe it was a red Econoline van. Many of the blocks they travelled were empty, but some had people. And some of those people cheered, some laughed, and some even threw stones. And with their bare hands, the two started to clap and sing and make up songs.

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“And some people kept watching and swaying and moving. And then one person even smiled. The boy and the girl looked at each other, and they also smiled, and they felt — they both felt – the sin of pride. But they kept on smiling. Smiling from a new freedom, knowing that they had shared and made another person feel something.

“And they thought the person smiling at them was a stranger, someone they didn’t even know. But it wasn’t just a stranger. It was God.”

He went on to urge younger musicians to get their hands dirty, “drop the screens and get out of your little room and get obsessed. Get obsessed with something. We all want to share in what you might create.”

While the duo did not reform at the event as many fans had hoped, in their place, Olivia Rodrigo, Feist, and Twenty One Pilots performed.

Rodrigo and Feist took on an acoustic duet of ‘We’re Going To Be Friends’ from 2001’s ‘White Blood Cells’, which was the song the White Stripes played in their final performance on Late Night With Conan O’Brien back in 2009.

Twenty One Pilots then covered ‘Seven Nation Army’, the track Rodrigo dubbed the “most iconic song of all time” in a video that preceded White’s speech. Both wearing fringed face masks, Pilots bassist and singer Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun switched to keys mid-song, earning a standing ovation from Flea.

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Ahead of the ceremony, Jack White shared a viral cover of ‘Seven Nation Army’ being performed on the streets of Iran, as filmed by journalist Afshin Ismaeli. The busking band can be seen playing the tune in Tehran with a swarm of locals surrounding them.

He also recently joined IDLES on stage to perform ‘Never Fight A Man With A Perm’ at Riot Fest. The band’s frontman Joe Talbot told the crowd it was “a great honour” to play with White, before White launched into a raucous breakdown.

Another guest appearance saw him join Ringo Starr to perform The Beatles‘ ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ at Bourbon & Beyond 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky.

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