While conservatives declared Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ demonic Grammy performance literally “evil,” actual experts in the subject were decidedly unimpressed, with a representative of the Church of Satan calling the set merely “alright.”
Smith and Petras performed their No. 1 hit “Unholy” with plenty of red clothes, fires, and the kind of horns you can find at Party City. David Harris, magister for the Church of Satan, told TMZ that the performance was “nothing particularly special,” noting that plenty of other artists had used the same kind of iconography.
While we can disagree about the quality of the rendition, most viewers would concur that there was nothing unusually scandalous about the set — unless you’re a Republican. Senator Ted Cruz called their performance “evil,” while Congressional reps Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene used the Grammys to tie Satanism to abortion and spread anti-vaccine conspiracies.
The over-the-top response probably has more to do with the gender of the performers than their pop song. Smith identifies as nonbinary, while Petras is a trans woman. The pair actually took home the Grammy for Best Solo Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Unholy,” making Petras the first trans winner in the category.
For more Grammy coverage, check out the full list of winners and our live blog.
