Will Grammys Raise the Volume?

On Wednesday, Bruce Springsteen released “Streets of Minneapolis,” attacking “Trump’s federal thugs” and “dirty lies” while memorializing slain activists Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Like many of The Boss’ works spanning a 50-year career, the song—which vaulted to No. 1 on Apple’s charts—landed not just like a clarion call to the nation, but for fellow artists and the Grammy Awards, an urgent call to arms.

As Status previously noted, the Golden Globes featured red-carpet glamour, but aside from a few “ICE Out” pins, were conspicuously light on politics. As the entertainment industry tunes up for the Grammys, there are growing signs events in Minneapolis—and the shocking arrest of Don Lemon while in town to cover music’s biggest night—have caused stars to find their voices, which could set the tone for awards season building toward the Oscars.

While Grammy producers meticulously arrange duets and performances designed to get audiences buzzing both inside the Crypto.com Arena and at home, they have to recognize the unpredictable nature of this year’s show at such a polarized moment. Based on conversations with network veterans and producers, there’s a sense the desire to call out the administration’s excesses is increasingly palpable, and growing.

As one former network executive told Status, the main drawback to a parade of political statements is that it’s “just not great TV,” especially for shows built to provide glamorous escapes from such headlines. Still, the executive added, “They’re artists, and it’s coming no matter what you tell them.”

Insiders noted that award producers offer nominees the usual disclaimers about not delivering windy speeches, along with customary warnings about going beyond the allotted time. Another wild card could be Trevor Noah, who has already served notice this will be his last time hosting the Grammys and, as an event producer observed, has precious little to lose. (Noah and Grammy producers declined requests for comment.)

Last year’s Grammys featured multiple comments directed at the weeks-old second Trump administration, with Chappell Roan and Lady Gaga addressing LGBTQ rights, Shakira addressing immigration and Alicia Keys tackling the assault on DEI.

In the months since, awards stages have adopted a lower-key posture, with stars appearing to feel the unwanted heat from social media trolls while watching other institutions—from corporate leaders to universities—wilt under the pressure.

A charged atmosphere around the Grammys could cause discomfort for CBS owner Paramount, which under David Ellison has sought a more amicable relationship with Donald Trump, even if much of what’s said before and during the broadcast is well beyond its control.

What seems clear is that the deaths of two citizens in Minneapolis—and arrest of two journalists covering the protests—has altered the equation, with several actors using interviews with Hollywood trades eager to discuss their creative genius at the Sundance Film Festival digressing to acknowledge the awkwardness of promoting movies against the backdrop of images playing on the news. Trump’s apparent retreat in a Truth Social post over the weekend seems unlikely to cool the temperature.

“I’m sitting here talking about movies while an illegal army is being mounted against U.S. citizens,” Edward Norton told The Hollywood Reporter—sentiments echoed by Olivia Wilde, Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega, who noted that it’s strange to “wear nice outfits and talk about film, when something so ugly is happening right next to us.” Others, including Glenn Close and Ben Stiller, have posted statements expressing similar views.

Granted, celebrities weighing in on politics often garner excessive attention, and those skeptical of their influence suggest the practice does as much harm as good in promoting liberal causes. Bill Maher, who seldom resists an opportunity to poke his thumb in fellow entertainers’ eyes, did so again by griping to Rupert Murdoch’s California Post that If Democrats want to win elections, “Job one, tell the celebrities to ‘Just shut the f**k up. You’re not helping. You don’t strike people in most of the country as sensible or in touch with reality.’”

Hollywood does remain a perennial target for anti-anti-Trump blowback, and as if on cue, Fox News’ “The Five” quickly seized on Sundance as culture-war fodder last week, with Dana Perino and her co-hosts dismissing comments from Norton and other talent as “performative.”

There are other pragmatic reasons to lower the volume, including unease about political violence. After all, some Republican politicians are reluctant to break with Trump out of anxiety about angering their Second Amendment-loving voters, so it’s not unreasonable for celebrities to contemplate whether it’s worth wading into that spotlight, especially at black-tie ceremonies where they bask in the glow of what can become career-defining moments.

Actors have also discovered the cost of imprudent or offensive comments, as Karla Sofía Gascón experienced when resurfaced social media posts helped torpedo her Oscar campaign for “Emilia Pérez." Despite being politicized, Sydney Sweeney flatly told Cosmopolitan that she just wants to “make art” and has “never been here to talk about politics” after her silence was previously interpreted as tacit MAGA approval.

It is, if nothing else, a test of priorities, especially for stars who say being famous doesn’t mean sacrificing their rights as citizens. Like Springsteen, who performed his new song at a Minneapolis benefit for the families of Pretti and Good on Friday, whatever the consequences, many feel they simply can’t sit idly by ignoring what’s happening around them.

The late producer Gil Cates, who oversaw multiple Academy Awards telecasts, often said it’s those moments within the show you don’t script, the ones filled with spontaneity and passion, which are most likely to reverberate beyond the venue—perhaps all the way this year through the Oscars in March.

If after the lifeless, muted Globes Springsteen’s full-throated rallying cry inspires stars to take a stand, he might have helped deliver them from nowhere.

[Data via Box Office Mojo]

The latest episode of Power Lines is out.

In this week’s episode: We go inside Bari Weiss’ first all-hands meeting at CBS News, where staffers asked pointed questions about the network’s rightward direction. Plus, Jeff Bezos ignores pleas from The Washington Post newsroom to blunt imminent cuts, and Rupert Murdoch’s media empire shifts its ICE coverage while other MAGA Media influencers push lies and smears about Alex Pretti.

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