Meg White absent from White Stripes’ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction

Fans were hoping to see Meg White after years away from the public eye, but the drummer did not join Jack White as The White Stripes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Seven Nation Army rockers, who officially disbanded in 2011, received the honor at their 2025 induction ceremony on Saturday, November 8, with an introduction by Iggy Pop and tributes from Olivia Rodrigo, Feist, Twenty One Pilots and more. Jack, 50, represented the legendary rock duo on stage at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater, but his former bandmate and ex-wife Meg, 50, was also absent.

But even before Jack began speaking, Pop, 78, was supposed to praise Jack, a private musician who became the third female drummer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, for her contributions to the group, according to Rolling Stone.

Introducing The White Stripes, the “Candy” musician recalled passing by Meg, whom he described as “timeless beauty.”

“Meg White, the group’s namesake, was charismatic and naturally likable. I met her once and she had a very genuine and charming smile,” Pop told the crowd. “She gave the drum kit a good whack, like Fred Below did for Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry. I think it was Meg’s support that helped launch the rocket of racket that was Jack White.”

Later, when she took the stage, Jack — who told Rolling Stone in 2014 that he had little contact with his former “Hermit” bandmate — revealed that he had spoken to her recently and that she had a message for fans.

“I spoke to Meg White the other day, and she said she was very disappointed that she couldn’t be here tonight, but she wanted me to know that she was very grateful. And to all the people who have supported her over the years, it really means a lot to her,” Jack told the crowd at the ceremony, Variety reported.

The guitarist also said that Meg helped him write a speech for the ceremony, which he sent to Meg in advance. “She checked a lot of punctuation and corrections,” Jack said of his former bandmate. “She’s very good at it.”

According to Variety, Jack revealed part of their conversation. “She said, ‘Do you remember, Jack? We were walking around and for some reason the animals were staring at us. They would stop and stare at us for some reason. An elephant did the exact same thing once at the Detroit Zoo.’ That’s all she wanted me to say,” he recalled on stage at the inauguration.

Speaking specifically about his and Meg’s musical influences, Jack also admitted that he has “been in a lot of bands that you’ve probably never heard of, but for some reason people specifically connected to this two-man duo project that I was a part of called The White Stripes.”

“I don’t know why these things connect with people, but when they do, it’s the most beautiful thing you can have,” he added.

Jack, who was married to Meg from 1996 to 2000 and continues to use her last name professionally, also concluded his speech with a tender fable about the Detroit-based band’s origins, bringing up the band members’ long history of calling each other brother. “My sister thanks you, and I thank you too,” he concluded his speech.

Some fans had hoped Meg would attend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, but it would have been a highly unusual appearance for the star, who was always the private half of The White Stripes, even before the band split and stepped away from the spotlight nearly 15 years ago.

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Rodrigo, who performed “We Are Going to Be Friends” at Saturday’s ceremony with Feist, also gave special recognition to Meg in a post summarizing the event.

“I’ve had a White Stripes fan account since I was 13 years old, and last night I got to help induct them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!!!!! It was such an honor to sing one of their beautiful songs with the incredibly talented @feistmusic and celebrate the music that means so much to me,” the 22-year-old singer wrote on Instagram on Sunday, November 9.

Rodrigo added, “Thank you Jack and Meg for being the best band ever!”