Joan Baez Asks Why Stadium-Filling Pop Stars Stay Silent

Joan Baez has never been one to stay quiet. During a recent episode of Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the 60-plus year activist turned her attention to contemporary pop stars who, despite enormous platforms, choose not to speak on pressing political issues. She didn’t name names, but her frustration was clear.

Baez opened with some understanding. “I understand where they’re coming from,” she said. “The young people right now, some are writing amazing stuff. A few are willing to speak out.” She pointed to Brandi Carlile and Maggie Rogers as rare exceptions. Rogers, she noted, was “front and center on the stage at a rally against ICE” earlier this year, and the two previously performed together at an AOC/Bernie Sanders rally.

The real target of her bewilderment was the widespread silence. “I sort of cock my head at these stadiums filled with brilliant young women songwriters, and why can’t they just take that little step,” Baez said. “Because they’re already richer than God, you know, most of them. So, that little step.”

The remark lands with weight because Baez’s own life is a case study in taking that step. From her influence on 1960s folk music to decades of work for LGBTQ+ rights, death penalty reform, and anti-war movements, she never separated art from responsibility. Last October she released the poem “Little Green Worm,” a direct rebuke of Donald Trump’s lack of empathy. Her invitation to others remains deliberately simple: move just an inch toward using the voice you already have.