Bette Midler accepts 2026 Woody Guthrie Prize

Bette Midler accepted the 2026 Woody Guthrie Prize on Friday, October 16, at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During her acceptance, she performed an updated version of Woody Guthrie's 1940s protest song, ‘All You Fascists (Bound to Lose)’.

Midler, wearing a T-shirt featuring the song's title, remarked that justice sometimes comes from a ‘beat-up guitar’ rather than a courthouse. She described her rendition of the song as her ‘small contribution to the Resistance,’ noting that she updated the lyrics to reflect contemporary times.

The updated version of the song was previously released on YouTube in April, featuring a music video directed by Toni Basil and Seanne Farmer with cameos from Barbara Hershey and David Hyde Pierce.