Joni Mitchell, 82, lapses into long pause in Grammys speech and then asks: ‘Oh, I won?’

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As a lifelong Joni Mitchell fan, it was honestly a little heartbreaking to watch her at the Grammys. She had this long, almost unsettling pause while speaking, and it seemed like she momentarily forgot she’d even won! Someone had to gently remind her, and it just felt… vulnerable and real. It was a beautiful, if slightly worrying, moment.

Joni Mitchell, the celebrated 82-year-old folk singer, and her producer, Patrick Milligan, won the award for best historical album this year. The winning album was a collection of her work from 1976 to 1980, titled Joni Mitchell Archives: Volume 4 – The Asylum Years.

Mitchell joked upon walking onstage that this was the most sparkle and glamour she’d ever seen at the Grammys, but then fell into a long silence.

Milligan softly touched Mitchell’s arm, encouraging her to speak. He asked quietly, “Are you going to say something?” Mitchell responded with a simple question: “Did I win?”

He confirmed it, and she reacted with delighted surprise, exclaiming, “Oh, I won! Oh!” The audience laughed and applauded, and Milligan gestured towards them, saying, “See?”

In 2015, Mitchell experienced a brain aneurysm and spent several years focusing on recovery, which included regaining her ability to speak and walk. She’s been appearing in public more recently, after a period of relative seclusion.

The Daily Mail has contacted Mitchell’s representative for comment.

Despite a rocky start on Sunday night, Mitchell delivered the rest of her speech fairly smoothly, sharing lengthy stories about the inspiration behind the songs on her album. One story involved a funny promotional billboard featuring a horse.

She expressed her gratitude for the Grammy award, saying, “I’m very honored to receive it for those records,” before pausing thoughtfully.

The audience immediately responded with enthusiastic cheers and shouts of ‘We love you!’ She warmly replied, ‘Thank you,’ and then announced that the performance was over.

The performance upset some viewers, with one person tweeting a harsh criticism, saying Joni Mitchell was too old to be performing and appeared disoriented on stage.

Some people reacted to the situation with humor, making jokes on X (formerly Twitter) like ‘she played into that forgetful moment’ and ‘she’s acting like a typical grandmother’.

People reacted strongly online, with one commenter suggesting the person was deliberately provoking a reaction and confident in their victory. Others joked that it was getting late, while some fiercely defended the person’s accomplishments, telling critics to listen to the album ‘Blue’.

In 2020, five years after suffering a stroke, Joni Mitchell told The Guardian she was slowly and steadily making her way back to health.

She said going through this experience reminded her of when she had polio as a child. She got sick with it at nine years old, but thankfully, she fully recovered.

Polio didn’t affect me severely, but the aneurysm was much worse. It left me unable to speak or walk, she explained.

She explained that while her speech recovered quickly, she continues to have difficulty walking. ‘But I’m a fighter – I’ve got Irish blood!’ she added with a laugh in 2020.

The next year, she returned to performing at awards shows, including a memorable appearance where she received a Kennedy Center Honor from the Biden administration.

After a nine-year break from public performances, she returned to the stage in 2022, unexpectedly joining Brandi Carlile at the Newport Folk Festival. She’s since gone on to perform as the headliner at several concerts.

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2026-02-02 03:03