Marilyn Manson at Hammerstein Ballroom
photo by P Squared

Grammy CEO on Marilyn Manson nomination: "We won’t look back at people’s history"

Yesterday’s Grammys announcement sparked controversy, as accused sexual predators Louis CK and Marilyn Manson both received nominations. Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. was asked by The Wrap about Manson’s nomination specifically, and he replied, “We won’t restrict the people who can submit their material for consideration. 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.”

Mason also added, “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.”

Marilyn Manson was nominated for his contributions to Kanye West’s Donda. He has been accused of sexual abuse by several women, including Evan Rachel Wood, Esmé Bianco, and Ashley Morgan Smithline, and was recently sued by a former assistant for sexual assault and harassment.

Full list of 2022 Grammy nominations here.