Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ performance of “Unholy” at the 2023 Brit Awards prompted dozens of viewers in the United Kingdom to file complaints.
The Office of Communications, which regulates TV, radio, phone and other services, received 106 complaints for this year’s Brit Awards, which was held Feb. 11 in London and broadcast on ITV1, according to the office’s website.
“The majority of complaints related to Sam Smith’s performance, with the remainder about the use of offensive language and consumption of alcohol,” an Ofcom spokesperson told British tabloid Daily Mail.
Just last week, the duo drew complaints for its performance at the 2023 Grammys, with Smith donning a hat with devil horns and Petras dancing in front of fire.
Smith and Petras won the Grammy Award for pop duo/group performance, making Petras the first transgender woman to win in that category.
At the Brit Awards, they traded the fiery red aesthetic for a grimier, postapocalyptic, Mad Max-inspired look, drawing more from the music video’s auto “body shop” themes. Smith still wore his devil hat, and as he walked off the stage, a pair of dancers were seen making out on the hood of a car.
Even though 106 complaints were enough to make the top three of Ofcom’s weekly public list, it paled in comparison to other recent controversial broadcasts.
Topping the week’s list was Capital FM radio host Ant Payne, who drew fire for telling listeners to book “cheap” flights to Turkey after an earthquake there killed thousands. That broadcast prompted 567 complaints, according to Ofcom. The most complaints in recent years were provoked by Piers Morgan’s comments about Meghan Markle’s suicidal thoughts, which drew more than 50,000 complaints.
In the United States, the “Unholy” Grammy performance prompted only 18 complaints to the Federal Communications Commission, according to TMZ.
