Meg White Absent from The White Stripes’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction

Though fans hoped to see Meg White after years out of the limelight, the drummer did not join Jack White as The White Stripes were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The “Seven Nation Army” rockers, who officially split in 2011, received the honor at the 2025 induction ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 8, with an introduction from Iggy Pop and tributes from Olivia Rodrigo, Feist and Twenty One Pilots. Jack, 50, took the stage at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater on behalf of the legendary rock duo, while his former bandmate and ex-wife Meg, also 50, was absent.

Even before Jack began his speech, however, Pop, 78, was sure to give the private musician — who became the third female drummer to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, per Rolling Stone — a shout-out for her contributions to the group.

While introducing The White Stripes, the “Candy” musician recalled crossing paths with Meg, whom he described as a “timeless beauty,” per Variety.

“Meg White, who gave her name to the group, was a charismatic, naturally likable person. I met her once, and she had the most genuine and charming smile,” Pop told the crowd. “She gave the drum kit a good whack like Fred Below did for Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry. I think it was Meg’s support that helped launch the rocket of racket that was Jack White.”

After, when Jack took the stage, the musician — who told Rolling Stone back in 2014 that he is barely in touch with his “hermit” former bandmate — revealed that he had spoken with her recently, and that she had a message for fans.

“I spoke with Meg White the other day, and she said that she’s very sorry she couldn’t make it here tonight, but she wanted me to tell you that she’s very grateful. And to all of the folks who supported her in all the years, it really means a lot to her,” Jack told the ceremony crowd, per Variety.

The guitarist also said that Meg helped him write his speech for the ceremony, which he sent to her beforehand. “She checked it for me for a lot of punctuation and corrections,” Jack said of his former bandmate. “She’s pretty good at that.” 

Jack also shared a tidbit from their conversation, according to Variety. “She said, ‘Do you remember, Jack? We used to walk around and animals, for some reason, would stare at us. They would stop and stare at us for some reason. Even at the Detroit Zoo, an elephant did the exact same thing one time.’ She just wanted me to tell you that,” he recalled onstage at the induction.

Speaking to his and Meg’s musical impact in particular, Jack also acknowledged that he has “been in a lot of bands that you probably never heard of, but for some reason people especially connected with this one two-piece duo project that I was in called The White Stripes.”

“We don’t know why these things connect with people,” he added, “but when they do, it’s the most beautiful thing you can have.”

Jack — who was married to Meg from 1996 to 2000, and continues to use her last name professionally — also shared a sweet parable about the Detroit-based band’s origin before concluding his speech by playing into the bandmates’ long history of referring to each other as siblings. “My sister thanks you, and I thank you,” he concluded his speech.

Though some fans hoped Meg would attend the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, it would have marked an extremely rare appearance for the star, who was always the more private half of The White Stripes, even before she retreated from the spotlight when the band split nearly 15 years ago.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Rodrigo, who performed “We Are Going to Be Friends” at Saturday’s ceremony with Feist, also acknowledged Meg specifically in her post recapping the event.

“I had a white stripes fan account when I was 13 and last night I got to help induct them into the rock n roll hall of fame!!!!! what a surreal honor to sing one of their beautiful songs with wildly talented @feistmusic and celebrate music that means so much to me,” the 22-year-old singer wrote on Instagram on Sunday, Nov. 9.

Added Rodrigo: ‘Thank u jack and meg for being the best band ever!!!!!!!”