Grammy Awards Ceremony Postponed Until March
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA/AP) - The Grammy Awards have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Organizers Tuesday told the Associated Press the ceremony originally set for Jan. 31 is being pushed back to March 14.
The Grammys will be held in Los Angeles at the Staples Center.
A joint statement from Harvey Mason Jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy; Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music, Live Events and Alternative Programming, CBS; and Ben Winston, GRAMMY Awards Executive Producer, Fulwell 73 Productions read:
"After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling 'The 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards®' to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021. The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.
"We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors and especially this year's nominees for their understanding, patience and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times."
Los Angeles County, the epicenter of the crisis in California, has surpassed 10,000 COVID-19 deaths and has had 40% of the deaths in California. It is the third state to reach the 25,000 death count.
An average of six people die every hour from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, which has a quarter of the state's 40 million residents. County health officials fear the incoming Christmas and New Year's surge.
"The Daily Show" host and comedian Trevor Noah is set to host the 2021 Grammys, where Beyoncé is leading contender with nine nominations. Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch, Jhené Aiko, Post Malone, Renée Zellweger, Billie Eilish and her producer-brother Finneas also scored nominations. First-time nominees include The Strokes, Megan Thee Stallion, Harry Styles and Blue Ivy Carter.
SAG-AFTRA released a statement Tuesday night declaring it was "extremely disappointed to hear of the conflicting date, March 14th."
"We announced the same date for the SAG Awards last July with the intent to give the greatest possible scheduling consideration for other awards shows," the statement said. "We expect the same consideration from sister organizations throughout the industry.
"The SAG Awards recognizes outstanding acting performances over the past year. We will again put on a spectacular show that accomplishes that mission.
"Our two organizations, SAG-AFTRA and the Recording Academy, share members and work together effectively to advocate for artists in many areas. In an environment that is increasingly challenging for televised awards programs, we also have a mutual interest in successfully showcasing the artistry and talent of our respective memberships."
SAG-AFTRA announced it is in contact with the Recording Academy and "will continue to work with our sister organizations to find ways to make this year's awards season as successful as possible."
Performers will be announced at a later date.
(Copyright 2021 CBS Corp. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
