The White Stripes are part of a stacked 2025 induction class for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, whose induction ceremony airs live on Disney+ on Nov. 8. Along with the dynamic duo of Jack and Meg White, the other artists and figures being inducted this year include Bad Company, Lenny Waronker, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden, Salt-N-Pepa, Warren Zevon, Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins, and Carol Kaye.
With their induction, the White Stripes are the latest addition to the Rock Hall representing Detroit’s diverse sound. Including the red-and-white-clad faux siblings/real-life former married couple, there have been 29 Rock Hall inductees with Detroit roots — out of the nearly 400 inductees — since we made our first splash in 1987. It was then that Aretha Franklin became the first woman inductee. Also inducted that year were Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and Jackie Wilson. Since then, a veritable who’s who of Detroit icons has followed.
The Impact of The White Stripes
Among these unquestionable luminaries, the White Stripes stand on the shoulders of those who paved the way, but they also stand alone in their greatness. It can easily be argued that they led the great rock ’n’ roll explosion in the 2000s. Many of their peers — like the Black Keys, the Strokes, and the Hives — remain active, but the White Stripes’ catalog is still far more revered and continues to be discovered by new generations.
That discovery is likely in large part sparked by “Seven Nation Army,” which has become one of the greatest sports anthems of all time, regardless of the sport you’re watching. In a 2022 appearance on the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Jack White said of the song’s massive popularity and use during sporting events, “It’s not mine anymore; it becomes folk music when things like that happen. The more people don’t know where it came from, the happier I am.”
While the White Stripes disbanded in 2011, Jack White has gone on to have a stellar solo career and released three albums each with the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather. He took a cue from Berry Gordy Jr. by co-founding Third Man Records in 2001 with Ben Blackwell and Ben Swank. After opening the first Third Man Records store in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2009, Jack opened the Cass Corridor store location in 2015 and then launched the Third Man Pressing plant in 2017.
The Mystery of Meg
Meg White has also managed to still make noise, despite rarely appearing in public for the past decade and a half. This is largely due to debate over her drumming prowess, or, to some, lack thereof. The latest example of the big and ongoing Meg White drumming debate came in 2023. In a flippant social media post about “Seven Nation Army,” reporter Lachlan Markay wrote, “The tragedy of the White Stripes is how great they would’ve been with a half-decent drummer. Yeah yeah I’ve heard all the ‘but it’s a carefully crafted sound mannnn!’ takes. I’m sorry Meg White was terrible.”
What made this latest comment about Meg’s drumming and the following discourse unique is that it led to a very rare rebuke from Jack. He took to Instagram and shared a photo of Meg behind her kit, along with a glowing poetic caption.
In part, Jack wrote of his former bandmate and ex-wife, “To be born in another time, any era but our own would’ve been fine. 100 years from now, 1000 years from now, some other distant, different, time. [O]ne without demons, cowards and vampires out for blood, one with the positive inspiration to foster what is good.”
Will We Get a Reunion?
Clearly, Jack is still a big fan of Meg. Ever since their Rock Hall induction was announced, the question of whether the duo will perform together has loomed, and it hadn’t been answered when we went to press in early October. The final concert performance from the White Stripes took place on July 31, 2007, in Southaven, Mississippi, but their final performance together happened on Feb. 20, 2009, on the final episode of Late Night with Conan O’Brien. With both of them slinging guitars and sharing vocals, they performed an emotional rendition of “We’re Going to Be Friends.”
A White Stripes reunion performance, even if it’s just a one-off, would easily be the highlight of the 2025 Rock Hall induction ceremony. It would serve as a reminder of the unique magic only Jack and Meg can deliver and of the unique magic that can only be found in Detroit: a city that’s home to rock, soul, and everything in between. Whatever the odds and obstacles, we somehow find a way to cut through the noise and make the world take notice.
This story originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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