English pop singer Tom Grennan has come under fire for his comments to Ellie Goulding during the 2023 BRIT Awards. The incident occurred while the pair were presenting the award for Best New Artist, which ultimately went to Wet Leg.
“Don’t I look good next to Ellie Goulding?” Grennan asked the crowd before turning his focus to Goulding. “I love what you’re doing [with your outfit]. They’re your real boobs?”
Tom Grennan and Ellie Goulding at the 2023 Brit Awards
“These are not… no, these are not mine,” Goulding responded, pointing to her outfit. “I wish. Mine are a lot further apart.”
Online responses to Grennan’s comment were swift, with many questioning how such a statement could be deemed appropriate in 2023. “That silence that followed [his comments] was what was left of his career going up in smoke,” wrote music journalist Neil McCormick on Twitter.
“Tom Grennan thinking it was appropriate to ask Ellie Goulding if they were her real boobs, on the Brits stage, just gave me the quickest ick in a while,” tweeted pop culture journalist Jen Southern. “Like instantaneous sick in my mouth.”
Some commentators made reference to the fact that Grennan had previously been outspoken on the nature of toxic masculinity, with the singer saying that the video for his 2021 single ‘Little Bit Of Love’ specifically touched upon the topic.
Aside from Grennan’s comments, the remainder of the 2023 BRIT Awards ceremony appeared to go off without a hitch. Harry Styles took home four awards (Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop/R&B Act), while Wet Leg and Beyoncé also received multiple awards.
Further Reading
The 5 Artists Who Inspired Tom Grennan’s Album ‘Evering Road’
Mark Ronson & Diplo’s Silk City Project Returns This Week With A New Single Featuring Ellie Goulding
Beyoncé, Harry Styles and All the Winners at the 2023 Grammys
