Grammys 2020: Taylor Swift Reportedly Exits Planned Performance Sunday Night

Taylor Swift has reportedly pulled out of an unannounced performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards, which was planned to be a surprise. It is not known what song the “Lover” singer would have performed, but if she sang her new feminist anthem “The Man,” it would have taken on new meaning, as the Recording Academy faces an internal crisis. Earlier this month, CEO Deborah Dugan was pushed out, with Dugan later filing a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Multiple sources told Variety Swift was never confirmed for the show, but that talks were ongoing. There was even a “TBA” slot left on the Staples Center rehearsal schedule, which was thought to be going to Swift.

Swift was at the premiere for her new documentary Miss Americana Thursday night at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. She left the city immediately after the premiere, which led to speculation she was heading straight to Los Angeles to prep for Sunday’s awards show.

A possible performance at the Grammys would have been a surprise, since Swift’s standing with the Recording Academy has been in decline. Her new album Lover only scored a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album, while “Lover” was nominated for Song of the Year and “You Need to Calm Down” is up for Best Pop Solo Performance. In 2019, Reputation was only nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. That’s a far cry from 2010, when she was nominated for eight Grammys and won Album of the Year for Fearless.

The Dugan situation began when the first female CEO in Recording Academy history was ousted for alleged misconduct. She responded by filing a discrimination complaint with the EEOC and made appearances on Good Morning America and CBS This Morning to discuss her allegations.

In one part of the complaint, Dugan claims the academy “manipulates the nominations process to ensure that certain songs or albums are nominated when the producer of the Grammys [Ken Ehrlich] wants a particular song performed during the show,” reports Billboard.

On Thursday, the Recording Academy Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion called on the academy’s board of trustees to make changes.

“The Academy’s Board of Trustees and leadership must immediately commit themselves to real reform, take concrete steps to implement all of the Task Force reforms, and transparently and regularly report on their progress — including transparently reporting on the pending investigations they have announced are underway,” the statement reads.

In Miss Americana, Swift opened up about her eating disorder, body image and the criticism she faces. She also recently revealed that her mother, Andrea Swift, was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Miss Americana will be released on Netflix on Jan. 31.

Photo credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images