--- title: 2018 Grammys Called Out Online for Sting, Bono Performances description: The Internet is calling out the Grammys for how many male performers (including Sting and Bono) they featured during the show. canonical: https://time.com/5123562/grammys-male-performer-backlash/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-29T20:43:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:20.711Z og:title: Internet Calls Out the Grammys for Boosting Male Performers og:description: The Internet was not impressed with Sting and Bono og:url: https://time.com/5123562/grammys-male-performer-backlash/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta7cc0c62c7602d84/6988f9de4ee262e0a2310a76/internet-reactions-sting-bono-males-grammys-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Show og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Internet Calls Out the Grammys for Boosting Male Performers twitter:description: The Internet was not impressed with Sting and Bono twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta7cc0c62c7602d84/6988f9de4ee262e0a2310a76/internet-reactions-sting-bono-males-grammys-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Internet Is Calling Out the Grammys Having So Many Male Performers > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=f15ee81e-868b-4ec7-9147-8ebecff14f46&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=f15ee81e-868b-4ec7-9147-8ebecff14f46&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=f15ee81e-868b-4ec7-9147-8ebecff14f46&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=f15ee81e-868b-4ec7-9147-8ebecff14f46&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Here's Who’s Wearing White Roses on the Grammys Red Carpet [Watch (HLS stream): Here's Who’s Wearing White Roses on the Grammys Red Carpet](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/tzG1kb2z.m3u8) (1:45)  _Published 2018-01-29. At the 60th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night, the music industry's glitterati all showed their support for gender equality by wearing white roses._  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jan 29, 2018 8:43 PM UTC  NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Recording artists Bono (L) and The Edge of music group U2 speak onstage during the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NARAS) NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Recording artists Bono (L) and The Edge of music group U2 speak onstage during the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NARAS) Kevin Winter—Getty Images for NARAS  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jan 29, 2018 8:43 PM UTC The [60th annual Grammy Awards](http://time.com/5119621/grammys-2018-recap/) drew criticism online only one woman took home a major award, with viewers using the [hashtag #GrammysSoMale](http://time.com/5122993/grammys-so-male-reactions/) to sound off on the matter. However, it wasn’t just the lack of golden gramophones awarded to women that didn’t sit well with the Internet — many were also disgruntled by the fact that much of the night’s screen time was given to veteran male artists U2 and Sting, as opposed to female artists who were nominated that night like Lorde, the only female nominee for Album or the Year or [Cardi B](http://time.com/5004551/cardi-b-interview/) (Cardi performed that night during Bruno Mars’ “Finesse” but was not given a solo performance of her own.) Social media users were quick to note that U2 appeared not once, not twice, but three times during the Grammys, featuring prominently in the excellent Kendrick Lamar opening act before performing one of their new songs during the ceremony and then closing out the show by presenting Bruno Mars with Album of the Year. Sting also clocked in several major appearances during the show, appearing first in a skit with host James Corden, then for a performance with Shaggy of a song off their upcoming album, and finally, to present Song of the Year. The Internet wasn’t shy in sounding off about the major airtime that U2 and Sting got and took to their social media accounts to call out the Grammys. > [](https://twitter.com/lindsayzoladz/status/957798204896051200) > [](https://twitter.com/CeeRiester/status/957825848391987200) > [](https://twitter.com/notcyndilauper/status/957819936990167040) > [](https://twitter.com/DaveAAuthors/status/957836099522564096) > [](https://twitter.com/AlexYoung/status/957990665266384896) > [](https://twitter.com/jennyyangtv/status/957817289717329920) > [](https://twitter.com/kbshowbiz/status/957802056068288512) ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ NOISE ] Nick [ UNKNOWN ] Nick, I see you please, Nick. That's finally out. Neyo up on top right here. I got you baby, I got you. Neyo right here, give it to me baby. [ LAUGH ] [ UNKNOWN ] I got you Anna, Anna [ INAUDIBLE ] Kelly beautiful. Kelly open up the [ UNKNOWN ] [ NOISE ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ SOUND ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5123562/grammys-male-performer-backlash/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5123562/grammys-male-performer-backlash/"},"headline":"The Internet Is Calling Out the Grammys Having So Many Male Performers","datePublished":"2018-01-29T20:43:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:47:20.711Z","description":"The Internet was not impressed with Sting and Bono","url":"https://time.com/5123562/grammys-male-performer-backlash/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","sting","Bono","U2"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta7cc0c62c7602d84/6988f9de4ee262e0a2310a76/internet-reactions-sting-bono-males-grammys-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta7cc0c62c7602d84/6988f9de4ee262e0a2310a76/internet-reactions-sting-bono-males-grammys-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"60th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Show","caption":"60th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Show","creditText":"Kevin Winter—Getty Images for NARAS","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5123562/grammys-male-performer-backlash/","name":"The Internet Is Calling Out the Grammys Having So Many Male Performers"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Here's Who’s Wearing White Roses on the Grammys Red Carpet","description":"At the 60th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night, the music industry's glitterati all showed their support for gender equality by wearing white roses.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/tzG1kb2z/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-01-29T02:20:14.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/tzG1kb2z.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5123562/grammys-male-performer-backlash/","duration":"PT1M45S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5123562/grammys-male-performer-backlash/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```