Since it began in 1959, the Grammy Awards has made headlines for its controversy, both on and off the stage. From outfits that broke the Internet to artists angering the Catholic Church, music's biggest night has never been short of show-stopping.
The 2021 Grammys are nearly here, finally airing tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, after being postponed from its original date in January. Like everything this past year, the Grammys will look a little different. But if the past Grammys have taught us anything, it's to expect anything can happen on the awards night. To prepare for the event, L'OFFICIEL rounds up some of the wildest moments in Grammy history.
When Lady Gaga showed up in an egg
If you thought Lady Gaga’s meat dress was her most controversial awards show look, think again. In 2011, the singer turned heads as she was carried into to the Grammys in an egg, which she didn’t emerge from until her performance of "Born This Way."
When Nicki Minaj performed an exorcism
In Nicki Minaj’s 2012 Grammys performance, she did more than just perform her hit song “Roman Holiday”—she also performed an exorcism (on herself) onstage. Unsurprisingly, this move angered the Catholic Church.
When Jennifer Lopez’s Versace dress invented Google Image Sear
Before breaking the Internet was a thing, J.Lo did it. Her sheer, low-cut Versace gown for the 2000 Grammys was so widely searched on Google that Google had to create their Image Search function.
When Bob Dylan’s 1998 performance had a crasher
Bob Dylan’s Grammys performance in 1998 was interrupted by a shirtless man with “Soy Bomb” penned on his chest, who had to be removed from the stage. Later, the man was identified as New York-based artist Michael Portnoy.