Sam Smith & Kim Petras Court Controversy Yet Again Following ‘Unholy’ Brit Awards Performance

It’s been nearly two weeks since Sam Smith and Kim Petras danced with the devil at the 2023 Grammys. Now, thanks to a new performance, they’re back in the controversial spotlight.

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On Wednesday (Feb. 15), U.K. broadcasting regulator Offcom revealed that Smith and Petras’ performance at the 2023 Brit Awards on Sunday (Feb. 12) had received more than 100 complaints, despite not engaging in the same devilish imagery as their Grammys set.

For the Brit Awards, Sam and Kim took a more literal approach to their “Body Shop” metaphor from the song’s lyrics, with an industrial set, flying sparks and mechanic’s outfits on both performers and their dancers. While it is unclear which parts of the performance received complaints, Offcom received 106 complaints for the 2023 Brit Awards, the majority of which were aimed at Smith and Petras.

The complaint comes after the pair’s highly publicized Grammy’s performance, which also drew plenty of criticism for its use “satanic” imagery from viewers and even a few right-wing politicians, including Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Church of Satan itself ended up weighing in, saying the pair’s performance felt pretty tame.

The ongoing controversy seems to have followed Smith into their daily life — in a viral video posted on Wednesday, Smith can be seen in New York’s Central Park Zoo ignoring a yelling woman, who refers to them as a “pedophile,” “demonic,” and “evil,” while also declaring “Sam Smith belongs in hell.”

Check out what all the fuss was about with Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” performance at the Brit Awards above.

Stephen Daw

Billboard