In the words of one of Sunday night’s winners, Lizzo: It’s “about damn time!“
The 2023 Grammy Awards nabbed more than 12.4 million viewers, a 30% increase from last year’s ceremony and the largest audience since 2020, according to time zone-adjusted Nielsen ratings.
The show, the most-watched program of the night, also reached the largest livestream audience in history on Paramount+ and other CBS platforms, a 33% increase from 2022.
Sunday night’s awards were full of historical landmarks — including Beyoncé’s history-making milestone for taking home the largest number of Grammy Awards ever, with 32 total, and Kim Petras becoming the first transgender woman to win in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category for her hit “Unholy” with Sam Smith.
“I’m trying not to be too emotional,” Beyoncé stated during her acceptance speech after the broke the record. “I want to thank God for protecting me. I’d like to thank my Uncle Johnny, who is not here, but here in spirit.”
Viola Davis also reached EGOT status when she won a Grammy for Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording for narrating her memoir, “Finding Me.”
This year, the awards were reportedly a big hit on social media, too, coming in as the No. 1 social entertainment event of 2023 so far, according to CBS.
The ceremony was also not without controversy, as Harry Styles won Album of the Year for “Harry’s House” — a shocking snub of Beyoncé’s highly acclaimed front-runner, “Renaissance.” Crop-carrying Madonna’s “shocking” appearance — namely her unrecognizable face — also raised questions on social media as she introduced Petras and Smith’s “Unholy” performance.
The ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah for the third year in a row at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, featured performances from artists including Styles, Petras and Smith, Lizzo and Bad Bunny, among others.
The late Migos rapper Takeoff was honored with a performance by his uncle, Quavo, during the “In Memoriam” portion of the show, along with country music singer Loretta Lynn and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Christine McVie.
Also among last night’s winners was Adele, who took home a golden gramophone for Best Solo Pop Performance, and the legendary Bonnie Raitt for Song of the Year, a surprising win for her ballad “Just Like That.”