Phoebe Bridgers Revealed She Had an Abortion When She Was on Tour in 2021
Grammy-nominated musician Phoebe Bridgers is known for putting her heart and soul into her music. But in May 2022, the singer revealed something personal that she’d never divulged before: she, like countless other people in the US and around the world, once had an abortion.
Phoebe Bridgers is one of music’s newest breakout stars
Bridgers first emerged on the music scene in the mid-2010s. She released her debut album Stranger in the Alps in 2017, supported by singles like “Smoke Signals” and “Motion Sickness.” The album earned critical acclaim and quickly made her a new indie darling.
In 2018, Bridgers teamed up with fellow indie singer-songwriters Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker to form the new band Boygenius; they released a self-titled EP later that year. In January 2019, she linked up with her past collaborator Conor Oberst to form another new band, Better Oblivion Community Center. They released their debut album later that month.
In 2020, Bridgers released her sophomore album Punisher. The album earned her four nominations at the Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist.
Phoebe Bridgers had an abortion in October 2021
In September 2021, Bridgers embarked on her Reunion Tour after being unable to tour in support of Punisher in 2020. But just a few weeks into her tour, she was faced with a crushing health decision: she chose to end a pregnancy.
Bridgers opened up about the experience on Twitter in May 2022 after leaked Supreme Court documents showed that the Court is set to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the landmark cases that cemented abortion rights in the US.
“I had an abortion in October of last year while I was on tour,” Bridgers said honestly. “I went to Planned Parenthood where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy.”
She ended her message with staunch words of support for reproductive healthcare around the country. “Everyone deserves that kind of access,” she said. She went on to share a list of funds where people can donate to support those in need in the face of eroding personal rights.
Bridgers didn’t reveal any other details about her abortion, including her reasoning behind it and the identity of the father.
She’s dating Paul Mescal from ‘Normal People’
In 2021, Bridgers announced publicly that she was dating Emmy-nominated actor Paul Mescal, who starred in the series Normal People. Their romance dates back to 2020: Bridgers read the Sally Rooney novel that the series is based on, and went on to become smitten by Mescal on-screen.
She told NME that “the cute boy” from the show — Mescal — followed her on Instagram, and when she realized that he did, she couldn’t contain herself: “I got a little pitter-patter in my heart when I saw.” She finished the show a week later, sent Mescal her album Punisher ahead of its release, and interviewed him on Instagram for his own first cover feature with a fashion magazine.
They continued to flirt with each other over social media before making it official in 2021.
