Singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette has come out as pansexual, months after admitting that "years of therapy" helped save her marriage. The 52-year-old opened up about her sexuality during an appearance on the November 3 episode of the Handsome podcast, hosted by comedians Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, and Mae Martin.
Towards the end of the interview, Fortune, 46, told Alanis: "I'm sorry for the men that hurt you, but I'm not sorry for the songs that came from it." She then asked: "Did it make you want to be a lesbian at any point?" The singer replied: "I'm pansexual, so yeah."
Podcast Admission and Clarification
Tig, 55, then asked: "Wait, you're not really pansexual, are you?" Alanis, known for her break-up songs, replied: "I am," before joking about the timing: "I like to leave it for the epilogue."
Pansexuality is a sexual orientation characterised by attraction to individuals regardless of their gender identity or expression. The prefix "pan" comes from the Ancient Greek word meaning "all" or "every". Pansexual individuals are often described as "gender-blind", meaning a person's gender or sex is not a driving factor in their attraction, which is typically felt toward personality, character, or overall connection.
Marriage and Family Life
Alanis has been married to rapper Souleye, real name Mario Treadway, 46, since 2010. Earlier this year, she told The Mirror that "years of therapy" have helped save both her and her 16-year marriage. "I'm a huge couples therapist person," said Alanis, who dated Ryan Reynolds from 2002 to 2007. "I have been forever."
The couple share three children: sons Ever, 15, and Winter, seven, and daughter Onyx, ten. The family live in Los Angeles, California, but also own a farm in the north of the state, filled with cows and chickens. Alanis said the rural retreat provides her with a sense of stability, despite admitting she "can't even keep a plant alive" herself. While her youngest two children are currently home-schooled, they are free to enter conventional education whenever they want.
Past Comments on Parenting and Dating
Alanis has been open about her battle with postnatal depression and its toll on her parenting. "I apologise all the time," she once said. "I am pretty transparent about how I failed them. And my running joke, which is not a joke, is that I have accounts set up for their potential college fees, if that's the route they take, but I also have whole accounts set up for their therapy, because they're going to need it."
Back in 2016, she spoke to Vogue about her dating life before marriage: "Dating - I don't want to give you the number. I dated a lot of people before my husband. For me, it's a numbers game. Same with therapists."
