Halsey was scheduled to perform this weekend as part of the annual Nightmare Before Christmas shows at the Hollywood Bowl, but she quietly dropped out recently due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
On October 10, Halsey was announced as special guest in the role of Sally and to perform “Sally’s Song” in composer Danny Elfman’s popular “live-to-film” performances of the 1993 Halloween/Christmas classic, with this year’s concerts set to mark the 30th anniversary of the film.
Halsey was booked to perform Friday, October 27 and Saturday, October 28 at the Hollywood Bowl, with actress Catherine O’Hara — the original voice of Sally — taking over on Sunday. However, just days before the shows, the event alerted ticket holders that Halsey had dropped out of the performances. Mentions of her participation were also removed from the event pages.
In recent years, artists like Billie Eilish and Phoebe Bridgers have appeared in the Elfman-led Nightmare Before Christmas concerts, with both also portraying Sally in the shows. However, those performances came before Elfman was accused of sexual misconduct in a pair of Rolling Stone reports.
In July of this year, Elfman was sued by musician Nomi Abadi, who alleged that Elfman failed to fully pay the agreed-upon $830,000 when they both signed the settlement agreement five years ago stemming from allegations of sexual harassment against Elfman.
On October 19, just nine days after Halsey was announced as a Nightmare Before Christmas guest, a second woman came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Elfman, as revealed by a lawsuit filed that same day. In that lawsuit, “Jane Doe” claimed that Elfman frequently exposed himself to her and allegedly told her that he masturbated next to her while she was asleep and couldn’t consent to the act.
As Halsey — who read a poem at the 2018 Women’s March about her own experiences with sexual assault — hasn’t commented on her Nightmare absence, it’s unclear whether the lawsuits had any bearing on the singer’s decision to drop out on the performances. A rep for Halsey did not respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment at press time.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, a representative for Elfman denied all the allegations: “The allegations of misconduct made against Mr. Elfman are baseless and absurd. His legal team is assessing all options and he will vigorously defend these claims in court.”
“It’s important to this Jane Doe that Nomi knows she’s not alone anymore, that what was done to her by Elfman mirrors in so many ways what was done to Nomi,” Attorney Jeff Anderson, representing both Abadi and the Jane Doe, told Rolling Stone, adding that the woman spoke out to send a message to those who “made efforts to destroy the lives of others who found the courage to speak up.”