Beyoncé Also Rumored to Be Pulling Out of the Grammys Despite 4 Nominations — Sources

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A Grammy Awards pre-event seating display featuring Beyoncé and Jay-Z, originally teased by broadcasting network CBS but since pulled because it was ‘tentative’.

As an ugly war inside the Recording Academy continues, mega-stars Beyoncé and Jay-Z are rumored to be backing out of the Grammy Awards event.

The pullout, if confirmed, closely follows reports of an exit by Taylor Swift. According to sources with knowledge of the pre-show logistics, Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z are quietly considering steps to remove themselves from this year’s Grammy Awards gala. Neither were slated to perform, though both have been slated as high-profile attendees.

According to one source, who requested anonymity, the continued nastiness and allegations of misconduct surrounding the removal of CEO Deborah Dugan has created a “bad atmosphere” that could “tarnish what Beyoncé and Jay[-Z] stand for and worked hard to create.”

Expanding upon that, the source further explained to DMN:  “As you know, as we all know, [Beyoncé] has been working tirelessly throughout her career to promote the kind of empowerment, change, and positivity she believes in, so really, at this point, this is just a question of whether [the Recording Academy situation] will stand in the way of Beyonce’s promoting those messages.”

This year, Beyoncé has been nominated for four awards: Best Pop Solo Performance for ‘Spirit,’ Best Pop Vocal Album for The Lion King: The Gift, Best Song Written for Visual Media for ‘Spirit,’ and Best Music Film for Homecoming. That would make a no-show particularly glaring.

It’s unclear where Jay-Z stands on the matter, though it’s “not too likely” the rapper would attend solo, a second source added.

It should be emphasized that this has not been confirmed by Beyoncé’s camp, nor by the Recording Academy itself, though DMN understands that a media release could be forthcoming. It all depends on “how the situation plays itself out,” though the pair may simply choose to become unannounced no-shows.

A recent move by CBS also suggests that there’s a serious problem.

Earlier this week, CBS started ‘leaking’ pre-show seating cards to members of the media. One of those pics (above) has been abruptly removed from the stack, based on its ‘tentative’ nature. It’s also worth noting that the removed seating chart picture also features Taylor Swift, who is also rumored to be backing out.

Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan was removed last week on allegations of misconduct from staffer Claudine Little, but quickly filed back with sexual harassment and discrimination claims againt the organization — including an accusation of rape against former Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow.