Joni Mitchell Completes “Journey That Began 62 Years Ago” By Becoming US Citizen

America just got better by one person. Joni Mitchell is a U.S. citizen.

In a social media post Tuesday, the Canada-born singer-songwriter posted that her new citizenship was the culmination of “a journey that began 62 years ago.” A short video showed her name being called in a Department of Homeland Security office as a new citizen to cheers and applause from a group of two dozen or so people. She posted a photo of herself in front of the American flag while holding a small banner.

Her new pride in citizenship isn’t a sentiment she shares for the U.S. president, making Mitchell’s choice to become a citizen in 2026 stand out after living in America for more than six decades.

At a rare concert in 2024, she blurted out “Fuck Donald Trump” from stage, as reported by The Guardian. She told the crowd, “Everybody get out and vote. This is an important one. I wish I could vote. I’m Canadian. I’m one of those lousy immigrants.”

Mitchell was born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada in 1943. She came to the U.S. in the mid-1960s and landed in Detroit with her then-husband where the two played music. She arrived in Los Angeles in the late 1960s, and it has been her home every since.

A biopic on Mitchell’s life is being made by Cameron Crowe, and Meryl Streep is set to play the singer-songwriter with rumors that Anya Taylor-Joy will play a young Mitchell, though that casting choice hasn’t been confirmed.

See where Mitchell landed on Consequence’s The 100 Best Vocalists of All Time.