The 2021 Grammy Awards announced on Tuesday its decision to move the ceremony to March because of coronavirus pandemic conditions.
The new date, March 14, now conflicts with the previously scheduled 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards, which honors the best performances in film and television.
SAG-AFTRA expressed its disappointment in the Recording Academy’s decision in a statement posted to its website on Wednesday.
“We are extremely disappointed to hear of the conflicting date, March 14, announced today for this year’s Grammy Awards telecast,” SAG-AFTRA said. “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. We expect the same consideration from sister organizations throughout the industry.”
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“We are 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,” the statement concluded.
On Tuesday, Harvey Mason Jr., chairman and interim president and CEO of the Recording Academy, told Fox News in a statement:
“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 message was co-signed by Jack Sussman, executive vice president of specials, music, live events and alternative programming at CBS, and Ben Winston, Grammy Awards executive producer at Fulwell 73 Productions.
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The statement continued: “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.”
Billie Eilish celebrating her six Grammy wins at the 2020 Grammy awards.
(Steve Granitz/WireImage)
The Grammys were originally scheduled to take place Jan. 31 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County, the epicenter of the crisis in California, has surpassed 10,000 COVID-19 deaths and has seen 40% of the deaths in the state. California recently was the third state to reach 25,000 coronavirus-related deaths.
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 surges from gatherings during Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
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“The Daily Show” host and comedian Trevor Noah is set to host the 2021 Grammys, where Beyoncé is the leading contender, with nine nominations.
A rep for the Recording Academy did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
