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There were many inauguration balls last Monday, which is fairly standard. But given the bigly-sized ego of this particular baby-fisted president, I was surprised that he allowed one ball to proceed that wasn’t wholly and dictatorially focused on him. I’m talking about the Make America Healthy Again gala (I know, vomit), that feted Trump’s pick for the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., along with 800 of RFK’s nearest and dearest. Cheryl Hines even came to support her worm-eaten brained, beached whale beheading, dead bear cub relocating, rumored dog and goat-eating husband. (What affair with a New York Magazine reporter?) Well, another guest at the bash was the surprise singer for the evening: Jewel. Apparently, Jewel’s fans doubted the singer’s good intuition in joining forces with the dark side the MAGA/MAHA front, so she posted a video on Instagram on Friday in which she explains her participation.

In a video posted to her verified Instagram, the “Who Will Save your Soul” singer started off by identifying herself as “a mental health advocate” and saying, “if there’s anything that I’ve learned in the past 20 years, it’s that mental health affects everybody’s lives, across party lines.”

Jewel went on to say, “I believe I can help, and if I believe I can help, I have to try. And if I wait to try until I agree 100 percent with the people that might be willing to help me, I’d never get off the bench. I don’t think that’s how activism works, waiting until everything’s perfect enough to participate. It’s actually because things are so imperfect that we have to find ways to engage and to participate.”

“We cannot wait another four years,” the Grammy nominee continued, in reference to Trump’s nascent second term. “I believe there are people in the new administration that are willing to help on this issue, and I dod not agree on all the politics, but if I can help shape policy, make sure mental health is in the conversation when it comes to American health, if I can help put resources or mental health tools into the hands of the most vulnerable who need it, I’m going to try, and I’m going to fight.”

She referenced the political polarization in the US post-election, “Half of our country feels hope right now, and I honor that,” while “half of our country feels disenfranchised and scared and vulnerable, and that is unacceptable.”

“I am so sorry that some of my longtime fans feel that I let them down,” Jewel said.

“I am so sorry that I caused pain, especially in my LGBTQIA+ community, because you guys are treasures,” she added. “You make the world a better place. You’ve made my life a better place. And I will not stop fighting. None of us can afford to stop fighting, and I really believe that the only way we change is in relationship. It isn’t in isolation or by isolating, it’s by being in relationship, by reaching out, by having hard conversations.”

[From CNN]

I feel like I’m missing something, so let’s walk through this together please. Jewel is “a mental health advocate.” Great, the more the merrier (ideally). So she agreed to sing at the MAHA party because it’s health related, right? Even though RFK, Jr. has been more vocal about physical health issues like ensuring Americans are freed from vaccines, pasteurized milk, and seed oils… But ok sure, it’s all under the health umbrella. It’s the progression to “we cannot wait another four years,” that’s tripping me up. I must really be an idiot (don’t answer that!), because I would’ve thought that Jewel, or anyone, could champion mental health causes, still during this Voldemortian administration, without doing a gig for this administration. But clearly, the way Jewel lays it out, the only choice was to perform for the worm or she’s given up on mental health. I’m sure you can hear my eye roll through the interwebs. I’ll be honest, I couldn’t stomach watching her whole video. Her affect is so sanctimonious. But I did enjoy that she wrote “please be kind to one another in the comments.” From the comments I saw, people were kind to each other… just not so much to Jewel. I guess it’s not kind of me, but I can’t say that I mind the messes Carrie Underwood, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Jewel experienced as a result of performing at this inauguration.

PS — A Vogue reporter got to tour the MAHA ball before the dinner started, and the article included snaps of artwork that was up for auction of RFK, Jr. with various animals, and I’m DYING to know if the theme was “Animals RFK, Jr. has abused post-mortem.”