'Activism through comedy': Alanis Morissette on nude suits, censorship and facing her fears

"So right, so wrong."

That's Alanis Morissette today, watching her infamous Juno Awards hosting gig in 2004, in which she pushed censorship boundaries in a way no one else had on the show before. Wearing a nude suit, complete with removable nipples and pubic hair, Morissette forced the audience to question what was an appropriate way to show the human body. 

Rewatching the clip now, she nervously laughs but says she's still proud of it. "I'm extra impressed with the activism through comedy," she says. 

Just a month before she hosted the show, Janet Jackson was facing backlash following a Super Bowl halftime performance in which Justin Timberlake tore a part of her dress away to reveal her nipple. In what became known as "nipplegate," it forced a conversation around perceptions of indecency in broadcasting. 

Wanting to tackle the subject but not be too heavy-handed about it, Morissette chose comedy, adding that, at the time, she was definitely afraid of the reaction it would cause.  

"If I let my fear stop me I don't think I'd get out of bed in the morning," she says. "If we were to start any sort of conversation that allowed for more freedom and less hatred of our bodies, then yay."  

Watch Morissette's full My Junos Moment above.

Wherever you are in the world, you can watch the 2021 Juno Awards on Sunday, June 6. You can watch live on CBC TV and CBC Gem, listen on CBC Radio One and CBC Music and stream globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos.