Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. says the Grammys are strictly about the arts.
Mason Jr. spoke on the 2023 Grammy Awards nominations shortly after their reveal. The Grammys boss was asked by The Hollywood Reporter about nominations received by controversial comedians Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K.
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“Well, we don’t control who the voters vote for,” Mason Jr. said. “If the voters feel like a creator deserves a nomination, they’re going to vote for them. The thing that we can control is making sure that people that attend our events feel safe.
“If there’s someone that’s been nominated that we don’t necessarily agree with, we’re not going to remove a nomination.”
Chappelle has endured allegations of transphobia pertaining to his standup specials, plus allegations of antisemitism during his recent appearance on “Saturday Night Live”. C.K. is making a comeback after multiple incidents of sexual misconduct.
“We’re never going to be in the business of deciding someone’s moral position or where we evaluate them to be on the scale of morality,” Mason Jr. said. “I think our job is to evaluate the art and the quality of the art.
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“We can make sure that all of our spaces are safe and people don’t feel threatened by anyone. But as far as the nominations or the awards, we really let the voters make that decision.”
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards takes place on Feb. 5, 2023.
