Pearl Jam releases uncensored 'Jeremy' video in hopes of drawing attention to gun violence
Nearly three decades after its initial release, Pearl Jam is finally sharing the graphic, uncensored video for "Jeremy."
In it, Jeremy, played by actor Trevor Wilson, walks into a school classroom and places a gun in his mouth, committing suicide. Seconds later, his shocked classmates are shown covered in blood.
A sanitized version of the 1990s hit, sans the scene with the gun, was what viewers saw on MTV and VH1, with programming executives believing that portion of the video was too shocking for audiences to watch.
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The release of the uncensored video was timed to coincide with National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which was Friday. People across the country wore orange to show their support.
"In addition to the equity protests taking place around the country, today also marks National Wear Orange Day," Pearl Jam wrote on Instagram. "The increase in gun violence since the debut of 'Jeremy' is staggering."
There were 15,208 deaths linked to gun violence in the US in 2019, with another 29,501 people injured, according to the Gun Violence Archive. A total of 417 mass shootings took place last year.
"Originally released in 1992, the Jeremy video brought attention to gun violence, teen suicide, and violence in schools," the band wrote on its official YouTube channel. "The original uncensored video, previously unreleased, is being shown here for essentially the first time. The themes of Jeremy highlighted by Pearl Jam in 1991, have sadly only become more relevant in the intervening 30 years as gun deaths continue to increase."
The band said it remains committed to combating gun violence, encouraging fans to donate to the Vitalogy Foundation, which was founded by members of Pearl Jam in 2006.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Jeremy': Pearl Jam releases graphic, uncensored music video
