It was an unforgettable night in Los Angeles as actor and comedian Jim Carrey took the stage to induct Soundgarden into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 8, at the Peacock Theater. The evening celebrated not only the Seattle band’s groundbreaking legacy but also paid moving tribute to the late Chris Cornell.
Carrey’s induction speech was filled with both humor and admiration. Opening with his signature wit, he told the crowd: “Spank you kindly, spank you all. You might ask why would Soundgarden — the heaviest of rock and roll royalty — want Jim Carrey to induct them into the Hall of Fame? Is there some deep, cosmic connection between them, or was the ‘Spoonman’ not available?”
He then reflected on how the early ’90s Seattle scene reignited his love for rock: “When the Seattle music scene exploded, it resurrected rock and roll for me. When I heard Soundgarden for the first time, I wasn’t just excited. I wanted to put a flannel shirt on and run into the streets screaming, ‘My mother smoked during pregnancy!’”
Carrey recalled meeting the band nearly 30 years ago, during his first time hosting Saturday Night Live in 1996: “I met the band in 1996 when I was hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ for the very first time, and I insisted on Soundgarden as the musical guest. By then, the lineup was Chris [Cornell on vocals], Kim Thayil [on guitar], Matt Cameron on drums, and Ben Shepherd on bass. They launched into the dark, epic beauty of ‘Pretty Noose’. I stood right in front of them, letting the waves of electricity wash over me, like an audio baptism. They pushed me under and when I came up I was free. After the show, they handed me what is to this day one of my most prized possessions, the Fender Telecaster Chris played on the show, signed by the whole band.”
Following Carrey’s speech, Cornell’s daughter, Lily Cornell Silver, addressed the audience with a touching message about her father’s enduring passion for music: “I am just really, really happy that he got to make music with his friends. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. I know how much purpose that gave him, and how much it’s meant to people who have heard that music. That’s what I’ll be holding in my heart tonight.”
The ceremony featured a series of memorable performances that honored the band’s legacy. Surviving members Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, Ben Shepherd, and original bassist Hiro Yamamoto reunited on stage, joined by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen for a fiery version of “Rusty Cage.” Later, Brandi Carlile and Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell performed a moving rendition of “Black Hole Sun.”
The night concluded on an emotional note as Cornell’s daughter Toni performed “Fell On Black Days” alongside Heart’s Nancy Wilson, leaving the audience visibly moved.
During their acceptance speeches, the surviving members reflected on the band’s journey and the loss of their frontman. Yamamoto said: “Chris Cornell, we are so missing you tonight on this stage. We’ve heard so many stories of how the music we created became your own, and that is the greatest recognition of all. To everyone else out there — especially all you brown kids — let’s rock!”
Thayil added his own words of remembrance: “If one of us ever hesitated in sharing an idea, Chris would be the first to say, ‘Let’s just try it out and see.’ I miss him. I love him, and I love all my [Soundgarden] brothers.”
