Former White Stripes drummer Meg White celebrated her 50th birthday this past Tuesday (Dec. 10). To mark the milestone, her ex-bandmate and ex-husband Jack White shared a message on his Instagram, writing:
“HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY to my big sister, the great Meg White. There’s only one of you Meggo, they broke the mold. You’re still inspiring people, including me. Love you so much. -Jack III.”
Jack’s reference to Meg as his “big sister” is nothing new. Despite the fact that the pair were married from 1996 to 2000, they kept their relationship a secret from the press, telling them that they were siblings.
The two maintained the “siblings” lie from the foundation of The White Stripes in 1997 up until 2001, with the news breaking of the truth and their marriage a year after their divorce.
Jack and Meg conjured the “siblings” story because they wanted fans (and the tabloids) to focus solely on their music and not their romantic relationship. “When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, ‘Oh, I see’” and “When they’re brother and sister, you go, ‘Oh, that’s interesting,’” White previously told Rolling Stone. “You care more about the music, not the relationship.”
Despite their divorce and the band’s breakup in 2011, Jack has always remained supportive of his ex-wife. In 2023, he shared a poem defending Meg after journalist Lachlan Markay wrote, in a now deleted tweet: “The tragedy of the White Stripes is how great they would’ve been with a half decent drummer… I’m sorry Meg White was terrible and no band is better for having a sh—y drummer.”
