Harry Styles Facing Backlash for His Grammys Acceptance Speech

Harry Styles won Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday night, but his acceptance speech raised a lot of eyebrows, to say the least. While thanking the Recording Academy for his award, Styles said "This doesn't happen to people like me very often," leaving many viewers confused. Before long, critics were skewering Styles for his approach to identity politics, assuming he was referring to his gender identity or sexual orientation – though that may not have been the case.

Styles' latest record, Harry's House, won several awards on Sunday night, and the singer himself was clearly overwhelmed. However, not everyone was happy for him – especially when it came to Album of the Year, which had some other incredible nominees. He said: "I think on nights like tonight it's important for us to remember there is no such thing as 'best' in music. I don't think any of us sit in the studio making decisions on what is going to get us one of these."

"I'm just so – this doesn't happen to people like me very often and this is so, so nice," Styles concluded. The crowd cheered for the 29-year-old in that moment, but on social media, commenters were scratching their heads at once. Many noted that some other nominees were not white and were not cisgendered men, and it would have meant a lot to them to see some representation on the stage. In that context, Styles' comments hit them the wrong way.

In reality, Styles likely wasn't referring to his race, creed, gender or orientation at all – most fans assume he was referring to his class. Styles was not raised in the entertainment industry, and he got his big break primarily through luck thanks to reality TV. Styles grew up in a working-class family in a small town, so making it to the Grammy stage obviously meant a lot to him.

At the same time, viewers could be forgiven for thinking that Styles was referring to something else. The singer has hinted often that he is not strictly heterosexual, but has avoided labeling himself in any concrete way. Many critics feel that this is exploitative "queerbaiting," and is meant to keep young fans on the hook without endangering his public image too much. To them, the phrase "people like me" just sounded like another way to skirt around an important issue that they feel Styles should be explicit about. Here's a look at how the conversation has been playing out online.