Canadian-born Joni Mitchell sworn in as U.S. citizen after decades in America

Joni Mitchell, the Canadian-born folk icon who has lived in the United States since the 1960s, has been sworn in as a U.S. citizen, Stereogum reported Tuesday.

Ms. Mitchell announced the news on Instagram, posting a photo of herself smiling and holding a small American flag in front of U.S. and Department of Homeland Security flags, Variety reported. She also shared a short video of herself being applauded as she was called up to take the oath. Her caption read: “A journey that began 62 years ago.”

Neither Ms. Mitchell nor her representatives immediately explained the timing, Variety reported. The outlet described the move as a step toward dual citizenship.

The news follows The New York Times’ April list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters, which did not include Ms. Mitchell. Variety reported that the newspaper said she was, and remained, a Canadian citizen. Stereogum reported that CBC had found in March that she had not naturalized.

Ms. Mitchell has not been shy about her status as an outsider. At the Hollywood Bowl in October 2024, she cursed President Trump from the stage after an audience member shouted an insult at him, and said she wished she could vote because she was Canadian.

“I’m one of those lousy immigrants,” she said.

Born Roberta Joan Anderson in Fort Macleod, Alberta, in 1943, Ms. Mitchell is generally cited in biographies as moving to the U.S. in 1965, when she married folk singer Chuck Mitchell, settling in Detroit, Variety reported. She later moved to New York and then California, but kept close ties to Canada. In July 2025, she received the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s gold medal at a small ceremony near her summer home in British Columbia.

Ms. Mitchell was considered retired from performing for years after a 2015 brain aneurysm. She returned with a surprise set at the Newport Folk Festival in 2022, her first full set since 2000, followed by a 2023 headlining show at the Gorge in Washington state, her first ticketed concert in more than two decades.