Alanis Morissette Makes Statutory Rape Allegations in New Doc as She Refuses to Attend Premiere

Alanis Morissette reportedly makes multiple allegations of rape in the upcoming documentary Jagged.

"It took me years in therapy to even admit there had been any kind of victimization on my part," Morissette, 47, said in the documentary premiering Tuesday at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Washington Post reported.

The singer explained, "I would always say I was consenting, and then I'd be reminded like 'Hey, you were 15, you're not consenting at 15.' Now I'm like, 'Oh yeah, they're all pedophiles. It's all statutory rape.'"

In 2008, the age of consent in Canada was raised from 14 to 16. However, there is a "close-in-age" exemption that legalizes sex between teens within five years difference "to avoid inadvertently criminalizing consensual sexual activity between young people."

In the Jagged documentary, previewed by the Post, the "You Oughta Know" singer reportedly doesn't name her abusers.

"I did tell a few people and it kind of fell on deaf ears," she reportedly said in the documentary. "It would usually be a stand-up, walk-out-of-the-room moment."

Morissette also hit back at critics who might question why she's talking about the sexual assault now. "You know a lot of people say 'why did that woman wait 30 years? And I'm likef— off," she said in the doc, per the Post. "They don't wait 30 years. No one was listening or their livelihood was threatened or their family was threatened."

She added, "The whole 'why do women wait' thing? Women don't wait. Our culture doesn't listen."

Morissette is reportedly not attending the film's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Tuesday for unknown reasons, the Post also reported. The movie will later premiere on HBO.

"Of course I wish Alanis could be there. It was a privilege to make this film and I'm really proud of it," the film's director Alison Klayman told the outlet. "Hopefully there will be other opportunities in the future for her to come to film events."

HBO and Klayman did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. On Tuesday, Morrisette released a statement through her rep.

"I agreed to participate in a piece about the celebration of Jagged Little Pill's 25th anniversary, and was interviewed during a very vulnerable time (while in the midst of my third postpartum depression during lockdown). I was lulled into a false sense of security and their salacious agenda became apparent immediately upon my seeing the first cut of the film," she wrote.

"This is when I knew our visions were in fact painfully diverged. This was not the story I agreed to tell. I sit here now experiencing the full impact of having trusted someone who did not warrant being trusted. I have chosen not to attend any event around this movie for two reasons: one is that I am on tour right now. the other is that, not unlike many "stories" and unauthorized biographies out there over the years, this one includes implications and facts that are simply not true."

She adds, "While there is beauty and some elements of accuracy in this/my story to be sure — I ultimately won't be supporting someone else's reductive take on a story much too nuanced for them to ever grasp or tell."

The film isn't the first time the Canadian rocker has spoken out about sexual assault.

In April 2020, Morissette reflected on the Me Too movement as it relates to toxic culture in the music industry.

"Almost every woman in the music industry has been assaulted, harassed, raped. It's ubiquitous — more in music, even, than film," she told The Sunday Times. "What, sex, drugs and rock'n'roll? By definition it's crass, sweaty and aggressive. But it's only a matter of time before it has its own explosion of stories."

Similarly when speaking about the Broadway show Jagged Little Pill's sexual assault scene involving teens, she told the Los Angeles Times in Jan. 2020, "There was some apprehension to talk about sexual abuse and assault in the show, and my initial thought was, 'Why would we avoid this?'"

"My response was, 'Look, it's me. I've had this experience in my past, and I'm not afraid of talking about it. I got this. I will be able to support this ongoing conversation in whatever form it shows up.' Doing this wasn't daunting to me," Morissette told the outlet.

She added, "I hope this helps to take the stigma off telling the truth, though understandably fearing any repercussions. If there's any validation, comfort, inspiration or soothing that this musical can offer to anyone dealing with any of the topics within it — even if it's just one moment of not feeling alone or a little bit of suffering reduced — that would be my dream."

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 connected to a certified crisis counselor.