The 2023 Grammy nominations were announced on November 15, and while the full list of nominees has plenty of artists to celebrate (including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Adele), the Recording Academy also recognized a few Controversial name. Specifically, Dave Chappelle and Louis CK are nominated in the Best Comedy Album category for "The Closer" and "Sorry," respectively.
Chappelle's recognition comes just days after hosting "Saturday Night Live" November 12, He used his monologue to defend Kanye West's anti-Semitic comments and also had some words of his own. During his 15-minute monologue, Chappelle made no mention of the transphobic comments he made on Netflix's "Dave Chappelle: The Closer," which was also recognized as a special by the Recording Academy today.
Louis CK admitted to sexual misconduct described by five women in a 2017 New York Times article. Although he wrote at the time that he "took advantage of the fact that [he] was widely admired in the comedy community," it "prevented them from sharing their stories and made it difficult for them when they tried," CK continued. A special offer. Sincerely, Louis CK was also nominated for the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album and won.
Bustle reached out to the Recording Academy for comment but had not heard back as of press time. However, CEO Harvey Mason Jr. did address the criticism in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
"Well, we can't control who voters vote for," he said. "If voters feel a creator deserves a nomination, they will vote for them. The thing we can control is making sure people attending our events feel safe. We won't cancel a nomination if we don't necessarily agree with someone's nomination."
Mason added that the academy's role "is to evaluate art and artistic quality" and "will never ... determine someone's moral stance or the moral scale on which we evaluate their business."
Many Twitter users expressed dismay at the decision to honor Chappelle and CK, with some noting that the nominations countered the idea that "cancel culture" has a lasting impact on public figures.
Some users also pointed out that the line-up of nominees for Best Comedy Album is made up entirely of men.
If the two comedians do win Best Comedy Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards, which are scheduled to air on February 5, don't expect them to address their respective controversies in their acceptance speeches, or even really 's appearance. CK did not attend last year's "Sincerely Louis CK" award ceremony.
