The 67th staging of the Annual Grammy Awards had some controversial moments, and an incident with R&B legend Babyface has gone viral. The incident occurred on the red carpet, where Babyface was being interviewed before the event started on Sunday in Los Angeles, California.
Babyface was in the middle of responding to questions posed by two female reporters about the rise of female singers in R&B and genre-fusing with other genres when he was abruptly interrupted.
A video of the incident shows one of the reporters seemingly filled with excitement when she sees American singer Chappell Roan and yells for her to come over while Babyface is speaking. Babyface smiles and asks if they want to interview Chappell instead, and they affirm, leading to him returning their microphone and walking away with a smile. The other interviewer apologises as he leaves.
The incident has sparked backlash, with internet users criticising the interviewers. The interviewer, who works for the Associated Press (AP), was called out for being rude and unprofessional. Some social media users have even deemed it a suitable cause for termination. Renowned rapper Cardi B also responded to the incident by commenting, “lame ass.”
Following the incident, Babyface, a 12x Grammy winner, spoke to TMZ, saying, “It’s all love. The best part of the night was reconnecting with old friends, meeting new artists, and feeling all the love in the room. That’s what I’ll remember. That’s what it’s really about. Music is bigger than any one moment. Much love to everyone who won and everyone out here making great music.”
Additionally, the AP reporter apologised, expressing that a lot was happening on the Red Carpet and that she did not mean to cut him off because she is a fan of Babyface. Many internet users slammed her for the apology, which they considered insincere.
The intense backlash at the reporter and the Associated Press resulted in a statement being released. AP apologised to the public for cutting their interview with Babyface short and noted that they also contacted him and apologised through his representative.
