Taking a Stand: Celebrities Who Slammed the Grammys, Oscars and More Awards Shows

Rose McGowan

At the 2018 Golden Globes ceremony, many attendees wore all black to show solidarity for the #TimesUp movement — protesting inequality for women in the workforce. Rose McGowan, however, openly criticized the call for a red carpet black-out in the weeks leading up to the awards show.

At the time, Italian actress Asia Argento voiced her support for McGowan.

“No one should forget that you were the first one who broke the silence,” Argento tweeted at the former Charmed actress. “Anyone who tries to diminish your work is a troll and an enemy of the movement. You gave me the courage to speak out. I am on your side until I die.”

In response, McGowan wrote, “And not one of those fancy people wearing black to honor our rapes would have lifted a finger had it not been so. I have no time for Hollywood fakery, but you I love, @AsiaArgento #RoseArmy.”

G-Eazy

After the Grammys basically failed to recognize female stars at their 2018 ceremony, G-Eazy vowed to boycott the popular awards show and others until equality for women is seen in the ceremonies. He said that a “boycott could actually happen, you know, if everyone jumped on board,” adding, “We need to see change.”

Drake

Drake accused the Grammys of pigeonholing him as a rapper and said he did not want the awards he was given.

“I’m a Black artist, I’m apparently a rapper, even though ‘Hotline Bling’ is not a rap song,” Drake said on his weekend show on Apple’s Beats 1 radio in 2017. “The only category that they can manage to fit me in is in a rap category, maybe because I’ve rapped in the past or because I’m Black.”

The Toronto artist, who rose to fame in the hip-hop world, said that his megahits were “pop songs — but I never get any credit for that.”

“I want to be like Michael Jackson; I want to be like artists that I looked up to,” he said after receiving Grammys for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Performance. “I won two awards but I don’t even want them because it feels weird to me.”

Spike Lee

Spike Lee refused to go to the 2016 Oscars due to the lack of diversity. “My wife, Mrs. Tonya Lewis Lee and I will not be attending the Oscar ceremony this coming February,” the director wrote via Instagram in January 2016.

“We cannot support it and mean no disrespect to my friends, host Chris Rock and producer Reggie Hudlin, President Isaacs and The Academy. But, how is it possible for the second consecutive year all 20 contenders under the actor category are white? And let’s not even get into the other branches. Forty white actors in two years and no flava at all. We can’t act?! WTF!!” he continued his lengthy post.

“It’s no coincidence I’m writing this as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Dr. King said, ‘There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but he must take it because conscience tells him it’s right.’ For too many years when the Oscars nominations are revealed, my office phone rings off the hook with the media asking me my opinion about the lack of African-Americans, and this year was no different. For once, (maybe) I would like the media to ask all the white nominees and studio heads how they feel about another all-white ballot.”

Jada Pinkett Smith

That same day, Jada Pinkett Smith said she would not even watch the Oscars on TV. Her husband, Will Smith, had been considered an Oscar contender for his role in Concussion but was not nominated.

“Today is Martin Luther King’s birthday, and I can’t help but ask the question: Is it time that people of color recognize how much power, influence, that we have amassed, that we no longer need to ask to be invited anywhere?” she said in a Facebook video.

“Begging for acknowledgment, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power. And we are a dignified people, and we are powerful,” she added. “So let’s let the Academy do them, with all grace and love. And let’s do us, differently.”

Will Smith

Just like his wife, Smith vowed not to attend the 2016 Oscars in protest of a lack of diversity. The Hitch actor told Good Morning America, “We’re part of this community. But at this current time, we’re uncomfortable to stand there and say this is okay.” This wasn’t Smith’s first boycott: In 1989, he boycotted the Grammys after learning the announcement for best rap performance wouldn’t be televised.

Halsey

Halsey didn’t attend the 2018 VMAs, and when asked about it on Twitter, she went off on the awards show which failed to nominate her.

“Bc I directed all my own music videos this album just to have @MTV ‘#wcw’ me to death and not nominate me for anything, so it didn’t feel right to go,” she replied, referring to the “Women Crush Wednesday” hashtag. “I’m happy you guys liked the videos,” the hitmaker added. “That’s all that matters to me.”

That said, the now mom of one did attend the afterparties to support her musician friends.

Kanye West

Kanye West has never been shy about his disdain for award shows. Who doesn’t remember the Taylor Swift VMAs saga? When Ye’s pal Frank Ocean was deemed ineligible for the 2017 Grammys because of a submission deadline, Kanye called out the double standard.

“So, I don’t know if any of y’all remember: I was supposed to go on a tour with Gaga, like about six, seven years ago — a while back. I remember, that it was something … She wasn’t nominated for Best New Artist, right? But they wanted her to perform at the show; they wanted her to open, right? So, the Grammys secretly changed something about the nominations in order to nominate her — in order for her to perform in the show,” he claimed.

“I’m saying this to y’all, because a lot of people, you know, they try to make a scene, like, ‘I’m so self-centered.’ But the album I listened to the most this year is Frank Ocean’s album,” the “Stronger” artist continued. “And I will tell you this right now: If his album’s not nominated in no [sic] categories, I’m not showing up to the Grammys.”

50 Cent

50 Cent called out the Grammys back in 2009, telling MTV.com he “couldn’t care less” about them. He said in the interview that the show was basically the Beyoncé and Taylor Swift show and that artists whose record companies spend money on the ceremony will be the ones who take home the trophies. At the time, the rapper had not yet won a single Grammy despite more than a dozen nominations.

“Man, f–k the Grammys!” he said.

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber skipped out on the Grammys after he publicly called out the Recording Academy for the categories it chose to recognize his music. He wanted to be nominated in the R&B category rather than Pop.

“I am flattered to be acknowledged and appreciated for my artistry,” he wrote in a November 2020 Instagram post. “I am very meticulous and intentional about my music. With that being said, I set out to make an R&B album. Changes was and is an R&B album. It is not being acknowledged as an R&B album, which is very strange to me.”

“I grew up admiring R&B music and wished to make a project that would embody that sound. For this not to be put into that category feels weird considering from the chords to the melodies to the vocal style all the way down to the hip hop drums that were chosen it is undeniably, unmistakably an R&B Album!” he shared. “To be clear, I absolutely love Pop music it just wasn’t what I set out to make this time around. My gratitude for feeling respected for my work remains and I am honored to be nominated either way.”

In the caption with the post, he wrote, “Please don’t mistake this as me being ungrateful, these are just my thoughts take em or leave em. Thank you to the people who fought for me to even have any noms.”

Bella Thorne

Despite being nominated in multiple categories, Bella Thorne boycotted the 2018 Teen Choice Awards.

“Teen choice is gross,” the actress wrote via Twitter, followed by, “The fact we are even voting against each other is … it f–ks w kids heads like a beauty competition … I’m #boycottingteenchoice besides it being rigged it’s just f–ked up.”

The Disney alum also called out the actual categories, suggesting replacing “hottest” with “smartest” or “most charitable.”

Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg is one of the many rappers who slammed the Grammys for lack of representation. In 2015, he said, “F–k the Grammys,” and called for the creation of a hip-hop awards show. In 2018, he blasted the Recording Academy again, noting the many nominations he’s had with zero wins.