Sam Smith picked up some controversy and new haters — or the same haters with something new to hate about — for their Grammys performance of “Unholy” alongside Kim Petras, including one woman in New York.
In an extremely NSFW video (below) that has since gone viral, the Irish woman could be heard and finally seen screaming at Smith as he walks by what the New York Post believes is the entrance to the Central Park Zoo.
The singer was nonplussed as the woman hurled expletives and horrific comments their way. “You belong in hell, Sam Smith belongs in hell!” she shouted, followed by calling him a “demonic, sick, twisted b——.”
She went on to shout, “Leave the kids alone, you sick motherf—–,” going so far as to call him a “pedophile!” As he walked away, she closed by shouting, “You’re evil!” while another individual with her calls him a “groomer” and another woman shouts something about the Illuminati.
This is a common, deeply harmful, and debunked refrain from right-wing extremists who accuse LGBTQIA+ people of trying to indoctrinate children into becoming queer or for sexual abuse. The Illuminati is often cited by far-right conspiracy theorists.
While the far-right appears to be horrified by Smith’s performance the Church of Satan was underwhelmed at best. Per TMZ, David Harris, magister for the Church of Satan, called their performance “alright” and “nothing particularly special.”
Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene were among politicians publicly outraged, while TMZ reported that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received 18 complaints about the performance, with many of those referring to devil worship.
For comparison’s sake, Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction” at the Super Bowl 19 years ago garnered more than 540,000 complaints. Even last year’s halftime show with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem picked up more, with The Hill reporting 33 (down from 1,312 the previous year for Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s booty shaking).
Smith and Petras were also the source of most of the complaints filed against this year’s Brit Awards, per The Daily Mail. They performed “Unholy” there, as well — though in leather post-apocalytpic garb. According to the Office of Communications website, the broadcast received 106 complaints total.
By comparison in the UK, Piers Morgan’s comments about Meghan Markle’s suicidal thoughts brought in more than 50,000 complaints. In Smith’s case, it appears to be a lot of noise from a very small minority on both sides of the pond … and on the streets of New York City.
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