BTS Takes a Stand: Grammy Boycott & Category Controversy
Recently, all seven members of BTS unanimously announced their decision not to submit any entry for this year’s Grammy Awards, stirring up some heat. This bold move by the global superstars sent shockwaves through the music industry and their devoted ARMY fandom, sparking intense debate and discussions across social media platforms.
Many interpreted the group’s decision as their way of taking a firm stance against the Recording Academy, especially after the controversial creation of a new Asian Pop Music Performance category, which many perceive as distinguishing music from Asian regions in an exclusionary manner. This move by the Grammys has been widely criticized for potentially ‘othering’ Asian artists rather than integrating them into mainstream categories. Even the CEO of the Grammy Awards was compelled by the situation to issue an official response, which, unfortunately for the Academy, garnered further backlash from fans and industry observers alike, who felt the response did not adequately address the underlying concerns about diversity and inclusion.
Adding fuel to the fire, another Grammy official, who was notably involved in the creation of the Asian Pop Music Performance category, also passively took a dig at the group’s decision, further exacerbating the tension between BTS and the prestigious awards body. This subtle jab did not go unnoticed by fans, who are always quick to defend their idols.
Iconic Performance Videos Vanish from Grammy Website
Amid this commotion, some fans were left worried and utterly bewildered when they realized that BTS’s iconic “Dynamite” and “Butter” performance videos at the Grammy Awards from previous years were suddenly removed from the Recording Academy’s official website. Notably, these were not just any videos; they were consistently among the most viewed and beloved content on the entire website, a testament to BTS’s unparalleled global appeal and performance prowess.
Recording Academy has seemingly removed BTS’ iconic “Butter” and “Dynamite” GRAMMY performances from their website. pic.twitter.com/5dSUv9JK5C
— Pop Core (@TheePopCore) July 29, 2026
This immediate and unexplained removal sparked a wave of speculation that it was done in direct retaliation to BTS’s boycott of the Grammy Awards, igniting a fresh wave of strong responses and outrage from the ARMY, who felt their beloved group was being unfairly targeted.
BTS withdrawing from the nominations really got under the grammys skin to the point that they deleted the Butter and dynamite performances.. this is so embarrassing for them my god 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/phvARkEMVZ
Deleting the most viewed performance in your stage’s history won’t erase the impact it had @RecordingAcad pic.twitter.com/sxcGU5mW0g
just proving their status as racists and xenophobes😭😭 https://t.co/mqgBziAFVK
— ummm (@ifuckingetit) July 29, 2026
this is so pathetic like damn😆 https://t.co/NporN82Zgj
— amber 非 ⓥ (@ambersthv) July 29, 2026
the retaliation is crazzzzzyyyyy https://t.co/wHBCrVXZrS
— Sarah (@jjkslilbitch) July 29, 2026
Unanswered Questions: Was it Targeted or Widespread?
However, some sharp-eyed fans and observers later realized that it might not have been a targeted move against BTS after all, since all performance videos on the Academy’s website from 2021 and 2022 appeared to have been removed in a broader sweep. This discovery offered a glimmer of an alternative explanation, though it didn’t fully quell the concerns.
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All performances from the 2021 and 2022 Grammys have been set to private, and the page appears as unavailable on the Grammy website. This is not unique to BTS; it applies to all artists.
The only available performances are the ones the artists uploaded to their own… pic.twitter.com/t3zAgENs3t
— BTS Charts & News (@btschartsxdaily) July 29, 2026
The Recording Academy has yet to issue an official clarification regarding the reason behind these widespread deletions, leaving fans and the industry in the dark and fueling further speculation about the transparency and motives of the institution.
