Alanis Morissette says she is pansexual on the Handsome podcast episode

The admission on Handsome

Alanis Morissette said she is pansexual during an episode of the podcast Handsome, published on 3 November according to several outlets. The hosts were Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin, and the admission came close to the end of the conversation. Feimster joked that she was sorry for the men who had hurt Morissette but not for the songs that came out of those relationships, then asked whether those heartbreaks had ever made her want to become a lesbian. Morissette answered that she is pansexual, so yes, and the hosts reacted with surprise. Notaro asked whether she was really pansexual, and Morissette confirmed that she was, saying she preferred to leave the news for the epilogue.

What pansexuality means

Il Messaggero describes pansexuality as attraction to a person regardless of their gender identity or sex, and notes that the prefix 'pan' means 'all'. The same outlet says the term is often confused with bisexuality, which it characterises as attraction to more than one gender but not necessarily all of them. It cites Sarah Kate Ellis, chief executive of the LGBTQ rights organisation GLAAD, who places pansexuality within the scope of bisexuality. Tgcom24 gives a similar definition, describing a pansexual person as someone with sexual, romantic or emotional attraction to people regardless of their gender identity or sex. Feimster responded with enthusiasm to the answer, and Morissette said that everything was fine for her.

Earlier comments on her sexuality

Morissette had spoken about her sexuality before. In a 2008 interview with The Advocate, reported by La Vanguardia, she discussed her experiences with women and said that exploring one's sexuality was a kind of transition most people go through, while describing herself at the time as fairly heterosexual. Adnkronos reports that she described a kiss with Sarah Jessica Parker in a Sex and the City episode as very pleasant, and said she had suggested the same-sex storyline to the production herself. Il Messaggero and Tgcom24 both note that she has been married since 2010 to Mario 'Souleye' Treadway.

Career and current work

Tgcom24 notes that Jagged Little Pill, released in 1995, became one of the most representative and best-selling albums of its decade, and that its 2019 Broadway musical adaptation won two Tony Awards. The same outlet reports that Morissette was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2026. Stern reports that she is currently performing a residency titled Butterfly with a Machete in Los Angeles, which mixes music and storytelling. Tgcom24 also reports that she has filed a lawsuit against her former tour manager, accusing her of blackmail.