Is awards season without controversy? The Grammy Awards are known to entertain viewers, but when it comes to showstopping – and head-turning – musical rifts, it has a fair show.
of Bob DylanThe 1998 show – famously interrupted by a New York-based artist Michael Portnoy – for “Blame It On The Rain” duo Milli Vanilli award for Best New Artist in 1990, Us Weekly looking back at the most controversial time in history.
Will Smith, for his part, expressed his frustration after the Recording Academy announced in 1989 that they were debuting a new category – Best Rap Performance – only to reveal that it was not going to be televised. At The Prince of Bel-Air is fresh alum chose to skip the awards show that year because of the decision.
Most recently, former president of the recording academy Neil Portnow He was exposed for his controversial comments about women needing to “step up” during the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018. Kelly Clarkson.
“Confused souls say women need to ‘up’ their A game if they want to start winning and you know, I’m not even mad at them for not knowing,” she said. American Idol alum tweeted at the time. “I’m just going to point you in the direction of the A-game album that just came out.”
In January 2021, The Weeknd kill the concept of awards show when the album is critically acclaimed After Hours did not receive a single Grammy nomination.
“I use the bastard punch as an analogy. Because it just hit me from nowhere,” said the musician Billboard two months after the snub. “I definitely felt it … I felt it. I don’t know if it’s sadness or anger. I’m just confused. I just want answers. Like, ‘What happened?’ We did everything right, I thought.
At the time, the Canadian native explained that he wasn’t “conceited” or “arrogant” about expecting a nomination, adding, “People say I’m going to be nominated. The world to me. It’s like, ‘This is it; this is your year.’ We are all very confused.”
For The Weeknd, his snub is part of a larger problem in the entertainment industry.
“Look, I don’t care anymore. I have three Grammys, which means nothing to me now, obviously. It’s not like, ‘Oh, I want a Grammy!’ It just happened, and I went down to get closer to the fire, as long as it doesn’t happen again,” he said. “In the last 61 years of the Grammys, only 10 black artists have won Album of the Year. I don’t want to make this about me. It’s just a fact.”
Recording Academy chairman and interim president/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. responding to The Weeknd’s headline-making reaction, tells The stone is rolling in a statement, “I’m surprised and can empathize with what he feels. His music this year is amazing, and his contribution to the music community and the wider world is something to be admired by all.
Scroll down for the most controversial moments from the Grammys over the years: