Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty
The Associated Press says they’re sorry. That’s based on an incident during the Grammys red carpet where one of their reporters cut an interview with Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds short to talk to eventual Best New Artist winner Chappell Roan.
AP reporters Leslie Ambriz and Krysta Fauria were having a wide-ranging conversation with the veteran artist, songwriter, and producer when Fauria saw Chappell Roan coming up on the carpet and started yelling to get her to come on camera. Babyface graciously handed the mic back, saying, “You guys want to go do that? Go do that.”
Ambriz apologized as Babyface walked away. Roan then joined the reporters, and they started talking to her.
While Babyface was gracious, other celebrities found the exchange disrespectful and expressed their opinion. Dionne Warwick posted the clip with the caption, “13x award-winning Babyface, am I seeing this correctly?”
Khloe Kardashian, who has known Babyface for years, also weighed in.
“This is so disrespectful how Babyface was treated in this interview,” she wrote in an X post while also sharing the video clip. “Babyface has had such a significant impact on the music industry, in sooo many ways. Its maddening to see a LEGEND not get the respect and attention they deserve.”
Both Fauria and Associated Press apologized.
“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 live stream,” Associated Press said in a post on X.
At the end of AP’s livestream, Fauria says she meant no disrespect.
“I wanted to say that I’m really sorry about interrupting Babyface earlier,” she said. “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.”
Babyface took it in stride, issuing a statement to USA Today via his longtime publicist. “The best part of the night was reconnecting with old friends, meeting new artists, and feeling all the love in the room,” he said. “That’s what I’ll remember. That’s what it’s really about. Music is bigger than any one moment. Much love to everyone who won and everyone out here making great music.”
