Bill Burr's Grammys Appearance Ruffled Tons of Feathers and Delighted Fans

Bill Burr was an unexpected presenter at the 2021 Grammy Awards, and many viewers were upset by [...]

By Michael Hein

Bill Burr was an unexpected presenter at the 2021 Grammy Awards, and many viewers were upset by his flippant humor. The controversial comedian presented the award for Best Tropical Latin Album at the Grammys premiere ceremony before the main event. Within minutes, videos of his jokes on stage were going viral.

Burr was reviled by some and lauded as a hero by others on Twitter on Sunday evening as footage of his Grammy's performance made the rounds. As always, he was dismissive of others' feelings, throwing out terms like "feminist" and "cis white male" as if they were punchlines in and of themselves. He got few audible laughs within the theater, and sparse ones on social media. Most were simply confused as to why Burr was chosen as a presenter in the first place.

Burr has a long reputation as a provocateur, from his stand-up comedy to his TV appearances to podcasts. He often pokes fun at young people, so-called "cancel culture," "political correctness" and other charged topics.

With no Latino heritage and little regard for other cultures, many viewers were baffled to see Burr presenting the award for Best Tropical Latin Album on Sunday. Scroll down for a look at the fall-out afterwards.

Unfunny

Whether or not Burr should have had a platform to say what he said on the Grammys stage, many fans argued that his commentary was, first and foremost, not funny. The comedian did not so much make a joke as inflect a mocking tone on his political presumptions, which had no apparent bearing on the award show itself.

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Disrespectful

Beyond that, many thought that Burr's Grammys commentary was disrespectful, especially to the artists who were there to receive what might be the honor of their lives. They accused the Recording Academy of disrespect too by hiring Burr for this position.

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Predictable

Of course, many people believed that Burr knew exactly what he was doing by provoking an angry response from social media at large. This included both fans and wary detractors.

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Racism

Many critics said that Bill Burr's place on the presenting schedule was an indication of racism from the academy as a whole — a common accusation these days as the Grammys face accusations from multiple high profile artists.

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Bombing

Many viewers thought that Burr himself looked uncomfortable with his position in this award show, and speculated that he was trying to deliver what was expected of him but missing the mark.

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Viewers

As Burr's segment went viral rapidly, many Twitter users questioned why everyone seemed to be watching the Grammy's premiere ceremony hours before the main event actually started.

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Mandalorian

Finally, many fans felt that at this point, Burr should be removed from the cast of The Mandalorian along with his former co-star Gina Carano. The 2021 Grammys begin at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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