Like 15.4 million others on February 2nd, I watched the 2025 Grammy Awards, as well as the usual ensuing drama that comes with it. This year, the Grammys brought no shortage of scandals and controversies. From notable runway moments to award snubs, the Grammys remain a hot topic of conversation.
Bianca Censori
As Kanye West pointed out in his most recent Instagram stories, there was a point in the night where his wife, Bianca Censori, was actually more Googled than the Grammys themselves. This was because of a stunt the pair pulled at the Grammys, where on the red carpet they unveiled Bianca Censori’s outfit to be…nothing. She showed up to the Grammys in a big black coat, which when taken off revealed an entirely see-through dress. West and Censori revealed that the (lack of) outfit references the cover of “Carnival,” the song that Kanye received the nomination for best rap song. Many called for the pair to be charged with public indecency (which was my first thought when I saw it), but the LAPD’s statement on the matter said that there were no formal complaints against the couple and the Grammys is a private event. West himself has also come under fire for the incident, with rumors circulating that he forced her into the stunt, leaving others upset that he used his wife as an accessory on the red carpet for fame.
AP News and Babyface
Celebrities aren’t the only ones to come under fire on the red carpet; the reporters interviewing them are just as susceptible to controversy. AP News reporters Krysta Fauria and Leslie Ambriz were interviewing 13-time Grammy winner Babyface when Chappell Roan walked onto the carpet. Ambriz asked Babyface a question, but Fauria interrupted him and began calling for Roan to come over so they could interview her. Babyface stopped mid-sentence, seemingly caught off-guard, and gave the microphone back to the reporters. Both the reporters and AP News came under immense fire for this via Instagram hate comments, which ranged from reprimanding to calling for the reporters to be fired, particularly Fauria for initiating the awkward interaction. This culminated in AP News releasing a statement on their Instagram addressing the situation, writing “We are deeply sorry for cutting our interview with Babyface short on our YouTube livestream of the Grammys red carpet. We have apologized to him through his representative and to our viewers on the livestream.” Further, Fauria released a statement on the AP News livestream of the event, stating “I’m really sorry about interrupting Babyface earlier, Chappell Roan had come up and there was a lot of commotion, as there is on these carpets. But I’m a big Babyface fan, as are we all, and I just wanted to say that I really apologize.”
Babyface, however, was unfazed by the incident. His representatives told USA Today reached that he said that the parts of the night that he remembered were the good moments where he reconnected with friends, and that one instance did not define the night for him at all.
The Awards
One can’t talk about controversies at the Grammy awards without the awards themselves. Notably, Beyoncé’s new album “Cowboy Carter” won the coveted Album of the Year award. The nominees this year were incredibly competitive: Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department,” Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft”, Charli XCX’s “Brat”, among others. The controversy arises because of the conditions surrounding Beyoncé’s win. At the 2024 Grammys, Beyoncé’s husband Jay-Z gave a speech calling out the Grammys for their perceived bias against Beyoncé. He claimed that although his wife has won 35 Grammy awards– more than any other artist–with 35 total awards and 99 nominations, the awards are biased against her because she had never been awarded Album of the Year. That changed this year, and some speculate that the unexpected win this year was in part due to the controversy stirred up by her husband last year.
Kendrick Lamar took both Song of the Year and Record of the Year, which is only the second time a rap song has taken away both awards. His song “Not Like Us” was written about Drake, in a viral rap feud that happened early in May of 2024. The piece was an instant success, and I think being an official “award-winning hater” makes Lamar the winner of this diss track war.
In what some view as the biggest snubs of the night, neither Taylor Swift nor Billie Eilish walked away with any awards this year. Eilish was panned to after every award announcement, seeming to grow increasingly more agitated as the night progressed.
Taylor Swift, on the other hand, appeared to not care whether she won an award or not. Although she was nominated for six awards and lost all six, she spent the entire night dancing to other artists’ performances (notably at Sabrina Carpenter’s performance). Despite not winning awards, many have commended Swift for her camaraderie and positive attitude during the night. Last year, she won two Grammys including Album of the Year, breaking the record for holding the most Album of the Year awards.
While the 2025 Grammys were certainly a spectacle, they reminded us of notable people and moments of 2024. For many, the night represented incredible artistry, while for others, it was a series of unforgettable moments that will ignite media discussions for months to come. Ultimately, these moments keep us engaged every year, whether to watch the performances, track the scandals, or argue about the snubs and surprises.
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