The National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences released the 2022 Grammy nominations on Tuesday and it includes controversial names like Marilyn Manson, Louis CK, and Dave Chappelle. With several on social media questioning if cancel culture has disappeared, the Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr told TheWrap that they will not take into account anyone’s personal history when determining eligibility.
While Manson and Louis CK have both been accused of sexual harassment, Chappelle was criticised for making transphobic remarks in his stand up show.
“We won’t restrict the people who can submit their material for consideration,” the Recording Academy chief told TheWrap. “We won’t look back at people’s history, we won’t look at their criminal record, we won’t look at anything other than the legality within our rules of, is this recording for this work eligible based on date and other criteria. If it is, they can submit for consideration.”
“What we will control is our stages, our shows, our events, our red carpets. We’ll take a look at anyone who is asking to be a part of that, asking to be in attendance, and we’ll make our decisions at that point. But we’re not going to restrict people from submitting their work for our voters to decide on,” he further told the publication.
In February, Evan Rachel Wood, the American actor who is best known for her role in Westworld, alleged that Marilyn Manson, her former fiancé, abused her during their relationship. Post this allegation, actor Esme Bianco, known for playing Ros in Game of Thrones, also came forward and accused Manson of “human trafficking” her. A total of 15 women have come forward with allegations against the singer.
Manson has been nominated for a Grammy in the Album of the Year category this year for his guest appearance on Kanye West’s Donda album.
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Louis CK, who has also faced numerous sexual harassment accusations and has even admitted to some, has been nominated for Best Comedy Album for his Sincerely Louis CK. He is nominated in the category alongside comedians like Kevin Hart, Chelsea Handler, and Lewis Black. The scandal with CK began in 2015 with revelations by comedian Roseanne Barr. Later, in 2017, CK admitted to sexually harassing five women, whose stories were detailed in a New York Times article.
His fellow American stand-up comedian Chappelle, on the other hand, was recently called out for making transphobic remarks during his Netflix show The Closer. He is a nominee in the Best Spoken Word Album category for 8:46.