EXCLUSIVE: Pick-Up Artist — Jewel Shocks Fans by Confessing to Humiliating Shoplifting Addiction
Jewel reveals her humiliating shoplifting addiction and reflects on the struggles behind her past.
July 20 2026, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
Singer Jewel has confessed she was addicted to shoplifting when she was a homeless teenager, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Who Will Save Your Soul songbird, 52, left her childhood home in Alaska at 15 after her father became increasingly abusive.
Homeless Struggles Sparked Desperate Theft
After losing her job and home, Jewel said she turned to shoplifting while living in her car.
She was just getting by in San Diego when she lost her job – and her apartment – after a pervy supervisor made a pass at her, forcing the desperate teen to live in her car.
"I didn't have food. I didn't have water. I didn't have anything. I didn't have gas," she recalled.
That's when she turned to five-finger discounts.
"It started with carrots, which apparently are the gateway vegetable," she said.
That soon escalated to "stealing herbs and things like that to try and.... I had bad kidneys," she said. "And then, it just kind of evolved into stealing things that weren't food and things that I didn't need."
Mirror Moment Changed Everything Forever
Jewel said mindfulness helped her stop shoplifting and rebuild her life.
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A turning point finally came in a dressing room of all places, while attempting to swipe a dress.
"I saw my reflection in the mirror and [realized] I was a statistic," Jewel said. "I'm a homeless kid that is shoplifting and I'm going to end up in jail or dead if this keeps going."
Determined to change, she began practicing mindfulness, which helped her regain control of her life, including stopping shoplifting.
She said one quote in particular resonated with her – "happiness doesn't depend on who you are or what you have. It depends on what you think."
