the grammys

Are You Ready for Another Awards Show?

The Grammy Awards, circa 2020. Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Apologies to those who are still reeling from the Oscars, but there’s more awards season to come: The 64th Grammy Awards will take place Sunday, April 3, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Hopefully there won’t be any slaps, but you should still prepare for chaos. Kanye has reportedly been banned from performing; a number of disgraced men have received nominations, while Drake turned his down; and the Weeknd continues to boycott the whole affair.

The Grammys was originally scheduled to take place in January before a full live audience at L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena, but a COVID surge postponed the event for the second year in a row. With the arena booked and busy through mid-April, this year marks the first time the awards will take place in a city other than Los Angeles or New York since 1973, when they were held in Nashville. 

This year’s show may be back on track with a live audience, but the controversy around it grows. Earlier this month, Ye’s reps confirmed that the rapper — a 22-time Grammy winner who has a complicated history with the awards show — had been pulled from the performer lineup, citing “concerning online behavior” including, most recently, calling Trevor Noah — who is hosting this year’s Grammys — a racial slur. Ye’s album Donda received five nominations, including Album of the Year, though it’s unclear whether he’ll still attend. Who else might attend, concerning behavior notwithstanding? Louis C.K. was nominated for Best Comedy Special despite being accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, claims he acknowledged in 2017 were true. Marilyn Manson was nominated for collaborating on Donda, despite allegations that he physically and sexually abused multiple women, including actor Evan Rachel Wood. (Manson has repeatedly denied the allegations.) Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. defended the nominations last December, telling TheWrap, “We won’t look at people’s history; we won’t look at their criminal record.”

Still, there are other things to look forward to, including performances by Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, H.E.R., and more. Rachel Zegler got an invite and will be performing a tribute to Stephen Sondheim. There could be major Beyoncé wins and more insight into whether Doja Cat is really quitting music. The red carpet begins Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount, followed by the awards ceremony at 8 p.m. You can stream the show here.

This post has been updated.

Are You Ready for Another Awards Show?