Back in February, Phoebe Bridgers smashed a guitar against an amplifier for an explosive end to her debut performance on Saturday Night Live. Seems like pretty standard rockstar fare, to be honest, but the act proved surprisingly polarising online, with critics calling it “extra”, “disappointing”, and “inappropriate”.

On the other hand, supporters took to social media to defend the musician’s right to round off a performance of Punisher track “I Know The End” by repeatedly hammering her instrument against the (reportedly fake) stage equipment. “Men do this all the time and no one ever calls them out for it,” reads one user’s comment. “Why is it all of a sudden an issue when a woman does it?”

In any case, all of the attention seems to have worked in the guitar’s favour, as it’s fetched more than $100,000 (or over £73,000) for charity.

Specifically, the Danelectro guitar was sold as part of an auction at the 2021 GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Awards, where Bridgers was also nominated for Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist, eventually going for $101,500.

“I know she has a loyal fan base,” Anthony Ramos, supervising producer of the GLAAD Media Awards, tells Variety. “Saturday night when I went to bed, it was around $18,000, and I was like, ‘That’s a great number!’ I was kind of hoping we would get to 25. Then I woke up and it was 40, then 50, then 80, and finally over 100.” 

“Obviously we were very pleasantly surprised. I’m so thankful someone wanted to support our work and wanted that guitar so badly.”

“The other side of it is that we’re so grateful to Phoebe for donating the guitar, but also for being someone who’s a visible and out part of the community in rock music. She made a great album, and we love all she’s doing and love working with her.”

Continuing the theme, Phoebe Bridgers was recently shown smashing a ukulele as part of the trailer for Ziwe’s new, self-titled late night series with Showtime. Bridgers will appear as a guest on the Brooklyn comedian’s show, which will see her ask guests direct questions about race, privilege, and allyship.

View SNL’s tribute to Phoebe Bridgers’ guitar-smashing performance below.