(NEXSTAR) – A Grammys correspondent for the Associated Press apologized on Sunday evening after abruptly ending a pre-show interview with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds in favor of speaking with “Pink Pony Club” artist Chappell Roan.
Edmonds, a 13-time Grammy winner, was in the middle of responding to a question from AP correspondents Leslie Ambriz and Krysta Fauria when Fauria appeared to spot Roan behind Edmonds on the red carpet.
“Chappell! Chappell,” Fauria said, cutting off Edmonds’ answer.
“You guys wanna?” Edmonds laughed, before nodding in Roan’s direction and saying, “Go do that.”
He then handed his microphone to Ambriz, who offered a quick apology as Roan approached.
Footage of the incident quickly went viral on social media, with critics calling out the reporters for what they viewed as disrespect toward Edmonds.
Shawn Stockman of Boys II Men — a group that has collaborated with Edmonds — responded to the incident on Sunday night, saying in an Instagram video that he was “really, really bothered” by Edmonds’ treatment. He also felt it pointed to what he viewed as a larger problem within the music industry.
“The industry tends to have a really bad habit of doing disrespectful things to people that should be honored,” Stockman said.
Singer and Grammy Hall of Famer Dionne Warwick also re-shared a video of the incident on X, asking, “Am I seeing this correctly?” She later posted an image of the dictionary definition of “decorum.”
Fauria, speaking from the red carpet later on Sunday evening, issued an apology to viewers.
“I wanted to say that I’m really sorry about interrupting Babyface earlier,” she said, standing alongside Ambriz and AP entertainment reporter Gary Gerard Hamilton. “Chappell Roan had come up, and there was a lot of commotion, as there is on these carpets. But I’m a big Babyface fan, as are we all, and so I just wanted to say that, that I really apologize.”
The Associated Press, on Monday morning, also issued an apology on social media.
“We are deeply sorry for cutting our interview with Babyface short on our YouTube livestream of the Grammys red carpet. We have apologized to him through his representative and to our viewers on the livestream,” the statement read.
Edmonds did not appear to issue any remarks on the incident as of Monday morning.
Edmonds, as an artist, producer and songwriter, has won 13 Grammy Awards throughout his career, the most recent being in 2024 for co-writing SZA’s hit song “Snooze.” Roan had snagged six nominations ahead of last night’s ceremony, ultimately winning the Grammy for Best New Artist.
