Top public figures slammed and mocked a controversial performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards over the weekend that featured Left-wing musical artists Sam Smith and Kim Petras.
The duo, who won the 2023 Grammy award for best pop duo/group performance for “Unholy,” was surrounded by red lights with a fire backdrop during the performance.
Smith wore a hat with horns and was encircled by dancers that used “props that had allusions to BDSM themes,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. The song “praises Balenciaga,” political commentator Ian Miles Cheong said in a tweet that contained a screenshot of the song’s lyrics.
After the initial round of backlash Sunday evening with some calling the performance “demonic,” some larger public figures weighed in on the performance, including Twitter CEO Elon Musk.
“End of days vibes,” Musk responded to the video.
End of days vibes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 7, 2023
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) mocked the performance, writing: “Preview of the DNC Convention.”
Actor and comedian Eddie Griffin responded: “What are we suppose to think when we see stuff like this smh.”
“This way too much idk what they thought they was doin with this, this ain’t it,” UFC fighter Terrance McKinney tweeted. “Hollywood has been trippin lately.”
Singer Taj Jackson tweeted: “Now I know why Sam Smith said he didn’t like Michael Jackson. This performance represents the exact opposite of what my uncle stood for his whole life.”
Republican Virginia State Delegate Nick Freitas wrote: “This is the sort of thing that someone would claim actually happened and a woke progressive would immediately accuse them of making it up.”
Country music singer John Rich tweeted, “The Grammys looked like hell last night. If God doesn’t bring judgement on America he’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Petras, who is a biological male, said after the controversial performance, “I think a lot of people, honestly, have kind of labeled what I stand for and what Sam stands for as religiously not cool.”
“And I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it, but then slowly realizing it doesn’t want me to be a part of it,” Petras continued. “So it’s a take on not being able to choose religion and not being able to live the way that people might want you to live, because, you know, as a trans person, I’m kind of already not wanted in religion.”