The Grammys announced their 2022 nominations yesterday, and many were angry (though not necessarily surprised) that the academy chose to nominate both Marilyn Manson and Louis C.K. for awards.
Today, Recording Academy President and CEO Harvey Mason Jr. defended the decision in an interview with TheWrap, saying that the academy doesn't "look back at people's history." It should be noted that the lawsuits against Manson are happening very much in the present.
Elaborating, Mason explained that while the academy doesn't take personal history into account when determining award eligibility, that doesn't mean that all those nominated will be invited to the ceremony.
"We won't restrict the people who can submit their material for consideration," Mason said. "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."
He continued: "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 be in the business of restricting people from submitting their work for our voters to decide on."
Manson — who is currently facing multiple lawsuits for sexual misconduct and assault, and who was recently the subject of a damning Rolling Stone profile that outlined his history of abusive behaviour — was nominated twice for his work on Kanye West's DONDA, which scored nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rap Song for "Jail."
Meanwhile, C.K.'s album Sincerely Louis C.K. is nominated for Best Comedy Album. In 2017 he was accused of sexual misconduct in the form of non-consensual masturbation, often in front of fellow comedians.
Read the entire list of 2022 Grammy nominees here.
Today, Recording Academy President and CEO Harvey Mason Jr. defended the decision in an interview with TheWrap, saying that the academy doesn't "look back at people's history." It should be noted that the lawsuits against Manson are happening very much in the present.
Elaborating, Mason explained that while the academy doesn't take personal history into account when determining award eligibility, that doesn't mean that all those nominated will be invited to the ceremony.
"We won't restrict the people who can submit their material for consideration," Mason said. "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."
He continued: "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 be in the business of restricting people from submitting their work for our voters to decide on."
Manson — who is currently facing multiple lawsuits for sexual misconduct and assault, and who was recently the subject of a damning Rolling Stone profile that outlined his history of abusive behaviour — was nominated twice for his work on Kanye West's DONDA, which scored nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rap Song for "Jail."
Meanwhile, C.K.'s album Sincerely Louis C.K. is nominated for Best Comedy Album. In 2017 he was accused of sexual misconduct in the form of non-consensual masturbation, often in front of fellow comedians.
Read the entire list of 2022 Grammy nominees here.
