
About this episode
Joel Madden interviews Melissa Etheridge about her life, music, and personal challenges.
On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Melissa Etheridge. Following the release of her latest album, Rise, the Grammy and Oscar-winning rock alum joins Madden for a hopeful, wide-ranging conversation. Sitting across from each other, they traverse how a cancer diagnosis two decades ago completely rewired the way she eats, thinks, and moves through the world — and why 22 years later, she’s never felt better. Etheridge also reflects on losing her son to an opioid overdose, the foundation she started in his name to fund psychedelic research for addiction treatment, and what it felt like to come out in 1993. ------- Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on Spotify. ------- Follow Artist Friendly! IG: @artist.friendly TikTok: @artist.friendly YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly ------- Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary Director/Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman…
People in this episode
Host: Joel Madden
Guest: Melissa Etheridge
Topics covered
- cancer diagnosis
- addiction treatment
- personal reflection
- music industry
- mental health
- grief
Keywords
- Melissa Etheridge
- Joel Madden
- Rise
- cancer
- opioid overdose
- psychedelic research
- music
- interview
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Rise
More episodes of Artist Friendly with Joel Madden
- Bebe Rexha · June 10, 2026 · 1h 5m
- Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World · June 3, 2026 · 60 min
- Jacob Charlton of Thornhill · May 29, 2026 · 1h 6m
- Maisie Peters · May 27, 2026 · 54 min
- Lizzo · May 20, 2026 · 1h 18m
- Linda Perry · May 13, 2026 · 1h 9m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Artist Friendly with Joel Madden podcast page.