Joni Mitchell has become a U.S. citizen at 82, more than 60 years after leaving Canada for the United States. The singer-songwriter shared the news on Instagram, posting a photograph of herself holding an American flag and video from her naturalization ceremony. In the caption, Mitchell described it as a journey that started 62 years earlier.
In the video, Mitchell is seated near the front of the ceremony. An announcer identifies her as “Joni Mitchell, Canada,” prompting applause from those present. The source, citing KSL, reports that Mitchell is expected to keep her Canadian citizenship because both countries permit dual citizenship.
Mitchell was born Roberta Joan Anderson in Fort Macleod, Alberta. Her father served as a Royal Canadian Air Force flight lieutenant, and her mother was a teacher. After her family settled in Saskatoon, Mitchell attended the Alberta College of Art in Calgary. She later left school and moved to Toronto, where she performed in coffee houses and folk clubs.
She moved to the United States in 1965, at 21, after marrying American folk singer Chuck Mitchell. The pair performed as a duo and lived in Detroit before divorcing in 1967. Mitchell then relocated to New York, joining the Greenwich Village folk scene and performing along the East Coast. By 1968 she had moved to Los Angeles, where Laurel Canyon was a gathering place for songwriters, including David Crosby and Graham Nash. She later lived in Bel Air for decades and now resides in Santa Barbara, according to the source.
Mitchell recorded several of her best-known albums in California, including “Blue,” “Court and Spark” and “Ladies of the Canyon.” Her honors include 11 Grammy Awards and induction into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997. She received Kennedy Center Honors in 2021 and the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2023.
Before becoming a citizen, Mitchell had spoken publicly about being unable to vote in U.S. elections because she was Canadian. During a performance at the Hollywood Bowl in October 2024, she made a critical reference to then-President Donald Trump while singing “Dog Eat Dog,” according to Billboard. She later urged the audience to vote in the presidential election and said she wished she could cast a ballot.
At Canada’s Juno Awards in March, while accepting a lifetime achievement award, Mitchell praised Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and commented on the political climate in the United States. The source says the White House responded through spokesperson Davis Ingle, who questioned who Mitchell was when asked about her remarks by The Independent.
The article also reports that Mitchell wore an “ICE OUT” pin at the 2026 Grammy Awards while accepting the Best Historical Album award, signaling opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. Her citizenship announcement marks a change in status after decades of living and building a career in the United States.
