The guitar that Phoebe Bridgers controversially smashed during her Saturday Night Live performance in February has sold for over $100,000 (£73,000).

Bridgers hammered her Danelectro guitar against a fake guitar monitor while playing ‘I Know The End’, the closing track from her 2020 album ‘Punisher’, on SNL. She did so with the blessing of the instrument brand, who apparently told Bridgers “they’re hard to break”.

The stunt became the subject of debate online with some calling her action “disappointing”, “extra” and an “unjustifiably awkward display of white privilege”. Others, however, claimed such comments were sexist and that a male artist wouldn’t have been criticised for the move.

It’s now been confirmed that the instrument has sold for $101,500 after being auctioned off by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Awards.

Anthony Ramos, supervising producer of the GLAAD Media Awards, confirmed to Variety that the high sum was paid by an anonymous bidder.

“I know she has a loyal fan base,” Ramos said. “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.”

“I’m so thankful someone wanted to support our work and wanted that guitar so badly.”

Amid the initial controversy, Dave Grohl supported Bridgers’ guitar smash when asked about it during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, comparing it to his early days in Nirvana: “It was every fucking night,” he said. “My drums had holes in them from Kurt fucking chopping my drums.”

“I’ve seen enough smashed guitars, it feels fucking good to do it,” Grohl added.

However, David Crosby, was less complimentary – labelling the stunt “pathetic”. Bridgers responded by labelling him a “little bitch”.