Avril Lavigne Confronts Topless Protestor Onstage at 2023 Juno Awards

Avril Lavigne's onstage appearance at the 2023 Juno Awards got a little complicated.

As the "What the Hell" singer hit the stage to introduce a performance by AP Dhillon during the ceremony on March 13, a topless woman—whose body appeared covered in messages including "Save the Green Belt"—appeared right behind her.

And though the 38-year-old did her best to continue her speech, she drew a round of applause when she turned to the protestor and told her to "Get the f--k off, bitch." (Security also appeared onstage to help escort the protester off at that moment).

According to CTV News, the protestor's messages seemed to reference a housing development plan recently rolled out by the government in Ontario.

After winning the Fan Choice Award later in the evening (which serves as her fourth overall), Avril also delivered a quip about being the only one onstage at the moment.

"Now nobody try anything this time," she joked during her speech, as seen in videos shared to social media. "Or the Canadian will come out in me and I'll f--k a bitch up."

But Avril wasn't the only one who had her own back as the show's host, Simu Liu, praised the "Complicated" musician during the evening for "handling that topless lady like a champion."

Despite the hiccup, when all was said and done, Avril reflected on what the night meant to her.

"Thanks to my amazing fans for voting for the TikTok Juno Fan Choice Award," she wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of herself holding her trophy. "This is my 10th Juno Award and 4th Fan Choice Award. Let's keep rocking and cheers to the next 20 years! P.S. – ‘Get the f--k off bitch!'"