UltraViolet on Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Not Attending 2024 Grammy Awards 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, February 6, 2024
CONTACT: Brett Abrams | brett@unbendablemedia.com 

UltraViolet on Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Not Attending 2024 Grammy Awards 

Group Says Recording Academy Must Do More to Address Sexual Abuse Within the Organization & Music Industry

LOS ANGELES, CA — On Sunday, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, despite being nominated for Best Progressive R.B. Album, did not attend the 2024 Grammy Awards. Combs’ decision not to attend the awards was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter three weeks ago, and followed after four different women, including a woman who was 17 years old at the time, accused Diddy of sexual abuse. In addition, The Recording Academy refrained from airing images of Diddy during the show.

Celebrating Combs’ decision not to attend the Grammy Awards, and members of the Recording Academy not voting to give him an award, Elisa Batista, Campaign Director at UltraViolet, a leading national gender justice organization, issued the following statement:

“Thanks to musical artist Cassie, Diddy was exposed as a sexual predator; her courage inspired three more survivors to come forward and publicly confront his abuse. We applaud each of these four women for their bravery in coming forward about their experiences.

“Making sure known abusers aren’t celebrated on a national platform like the Grammys is important to survivor justice. That’s why more than 15,000 UltraViolet members took action to make sure Diddy did not attend the Grammys. But there is still more work to be done. 

“For too long, the entertainment and music industry, and the Recording Academy in particular, have struggled to grapple with issues of sexual harassment and abuse. The Grammys woman-centered show highlighted the leadership of women in the music industry but, The Recording Academy must do more to ensure the safety of musical artists and professionals, especially women, in the workplace. 

“UltraViolet will continue to work with industry leaders to strengthen sexual harassment and misconduct protections for musical artists and professionals.”

More than 15,000 people signed a petition organized by UltraViolet calling on the Recording Academy to rescind Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs  invitation to the 66th annual Grammy Awards, ban him from future Grammy Award shows, and revoke his membership in the Recording Academy.

You can view the petition here: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/NoDiddyAtGrammys/ 

UltraViolet has a long-running connection addressing sexual violence in the music industry. 

• In 2014, pop singer Kesha came forward to accuse music producer Dr. Luke of sexual assault. After the allegations were made public, UltraViolet hosted petitions, organized protests, and publicly advocated for Sony Music to “Free Kesha” from her relationship with her alleged abuser. 
• In 2018, following Spotify’s decision to remove R. Kelly and other infamous abusers from its official playlists, UltraViolet penned an open letter to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek applauding the company’s decision, but urging Ek to look deeper at other artists with a history of sexual and physical abuse that continued to profit from Spotify’s promotion. 
• One year later, tens of thousands of people signed UltraViolet’s petition, echoing calls of the #MuteRKelly campaign, urging RCA Records to drop Kelly.  UltraViolet also commissioned a plane banner to fly over Sony Music’s HQs in Los Angeles, demanding RCA Records to sever ties with R Kelly and took part in the “#MuteRKelly Rally to Protect Black Girls” at Sony Music HQ’s in New York City.

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