Joni Mitchell Becomes a U.S. Citizen After Decades in America

Joni Mitchell is officially an American citizen. The legendary singer-songwriter, 82, marked the milestone on Instagram, describing it as “a journey that began 62 years ago” while posing with an American flag at an immigration office. The Fort Macleod, Canada-born musician also shared footage from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security office capturing the moment she took on American citizenship. Mitchell first moved to the United States with her former husband, Chuck Mitchell, and the pair lived in Detroit for several years. She later spent time in New York before moving to California in the late 1960s, eventually settling in Laurel Canyon, the famed Los Angeles neighborhood known for its deep musical roots. The Daily Mail has contacted Mitchell’s representatives for comment.

The announcement prompted an outpouring of congratulations, including a message from Mitchell’s former boyfriend and fellow music icon Graham Nash, who wrote, “Congrats, Joan! Just in time to vote!” Other commenters praised her enduring connection to both countries. “Canada still loves you!!!” one person wrote, while another said, “Some people become citizens. Others become part of a country’s soul. Joni did both.” Mitchell, who mainly lives in Santa Barbara, California, told the Ottawa Citizen in 2006 that she often divided her time between Los Angeles and British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. “L.A. is my workplace, B.C. is my heartbeat,” she said.

Mitchell returned to Canada in March for the first time in what she described as “many, many years” to receive the Juno Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award, according to People. While accepting the honor from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, she reflected on the political contrast between her two home countries, saying Canadians were “so fortunate to have” Carney in office before adding, “I’m living in the states and you know what’s happening there.” During a 2024 performance at the Hollywood Bowl, Mitchell had expressed her frustration at being unable to vote in U.S. elections. “I wish I could vote… I’m a Canadian. I’m one of those lousy immigrants,” she said. As a U.S. citizen, she can now cast a ballot.

During the Juno Awards ceremony, Mitchell also discussed the life-changing brain aneurysm she suffered in 2015, which temporarily affected her ability to speak, walk and play guitar. “Some years ago — 10 or 12 years ago, I forget how long ago — I had an aneurysm, which changed my life, oddly, for the better,” she said. Mitchell described being surrounded by supportive nurses and praised the therapist who travels with her. “I was on the road with men for years and years and years, now I live with a house full of women, and I have a fantastic therapist [who] goes everywhere with me,” she said. “So my life has changed for the better out of a catastrophe, like a phoenix who grows a better life.”