Are The Grammy’s Rigged? Zayn Malik, The Weeknd And More Celebs Who Blasted Awards Show

Awards Shows have continued to seemingly wane with at-home audiences over the years and have also faced criticism for lack of diversity among nominees at certain points. Now, with the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards just days away, Zayn Malik has added his name to the growing list of performers who have taken issue with the biggest awards show devoted to music.

Malik, who released his third solo album since leaving One Direction in January, had harsh words for the annual awards show honoring all genres of music Tuesday, taking to Twitter to claim that the Recording Academy only handed out nominations when they were bribed.

However, Malik isn’t the only one who has criticized the awards show, with many celebs calling it out when nominations were announced back in November 2020. Among the leading nominees were Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and Billie Eilish, but The Weeknd, whose song “Blinding Lights” and album “After Hours topped Billboard Charts throughout the year.

Following his snub, he and several others spoke out about what they felt was a history of racism or other issues in how the awards show handed out its honors. Here’s a full list of everyone who had something to say.

The Weeknd

After being completely shut out by the academy, the singer went on social media to accuse the Grammys of being corrupt, demanding transparency for how, with so many hits throughout 2020, he wasn’t eligible for a single nomination.

Support for The Weeknd came from other artists after he spoke out, including Kid Cudi, Elton John and Drake.

Justin Bieber

Despite having nominations at this year’s show, Bieber wasn’t impressed with the categories his music ended up in when it came to how it was acknowledged, stating that “Changes” wasn’t a Pop album, but was an R&B one, and the nomination as a Pop contender was incorrect.

Nicki Minaj

While her comments came at the same time that other celebs rallied around The Weeknd, the “Barbie Tingz” rapper shared her own negative experience with the Recording Academy, reminding everyone how much success she had found when she first started out, but that she somehow still lost out on the Best New Artist award to Bon Iver.

Tyler, The Creator

Despite winning for Best Rap Album at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards, Tyler, The Creator called out the academy for always putting music by Black Men in the rap/Urban categories, and said his nomination was more of a “backhanded compliment.”

Ariana Grande

While not calling the awards show out for snubs, the “Thank U, Next” singer did admit to having issues with how her pulling out from performing at the 2020 show was portrayed, stating that producer Ken Ehrlich lied about why she didn’t perform.

Halsey

Halsey also found herself snubbed for this year’s awards, and took to her Instagram Stories to share some of the same claims that Malik has also made, stating that “it’s always about the music.”