The recent Brit Awards ceremony sparked significant controversy, drawing 825 complaints to the media watchdog Ofcom. The majority of grievances centered on Sabrina Carpenter's pre-watershed opening performance and Charli XCX's choice of outfit. This is not the first time the awards have attracted complaints, continuing a long tradition of contentious moments in entertainment.
The Brit Awards have a history of attracting complaints. In 2021, the ceremony experienced its highest number of complaints when Piers Morgan's criticism of the Duchess of Sussex on Good Morning Britain resulted in 58,000 complaints. In 2007, an episode of Celebrity Big Brother on Channel 4 received 45,159 complaints, and its 2018 edition on Channel 5 garnered 25,327 complaints. These numbers underscore the often polarizing nature of televised events.
Musical performances frequently feature in viewer complaints. In 2018, Ofcom received 74 complaints about Kendrick Lamar's performance, during which ITV muted parts of his songs "Feel" and "New Freezer" multiple times to avoid broadcasting offensive language. Similarly, in 2015, Ofcom dismissed 151 complaints regarding Kanye West's language, noting that ITV attempted to mute parts of his song "All Day."
The recent ceremony also saw Dave's performance of "Black," which drew 309 complaints for alleged racial insensitivity against white people. Ofcom commented that such performances are "likely to be within most viewers' expectations of this well-established awards ceremony."
"likely to be within most viewers' expectations of this well-established awards ceremony" – Ofcom
Billie Eilish made history by becoming the first non-Brit to win a best song award. Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter picked up awards for best dance act and song of the year for "Guess," featuring Billie Eilish. Carpenter was also honored with the global success award, joining previous recipients like One Direction, Sam Smith, Adele, and Ed Sheeran.
Ofcom's spokesperson commented on the current wave of complaints, indicating that they are under review.
"We are assessing the complaints against our rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate" – An Ofcom spokesperson
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