Ed Sheeran Has Harsh Words For US Award Shows

Award shows are a big part of Hollywood, and whether you like them or not, they definitely spark plenty of buzz and drama.

One of the most recent award shows to take place was the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards, in which plenty of the biggest names in music gathered to perform and hope to win big. Of all the celebrities in attendance, some of the most notable names included Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat, Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X, and Billie Eilish. The ceremony proceeded as an award show does, with a star-studded red carpet, awkward moments, and plenty of iconic performances, including Madonna's opening appearance. By the end of the night, Lil Nas X, Bieber, and Rodrigo won some of the most coveted awards, concluding an eventful evening.

While plenty of celebrities were happy to be in attendance at the VMAs, there's one who apparently was not: Ed Sheeran. Sheeran performed at the show and was nominated for one of the most anticipated awards, Video of the Year, for his song "Bad Habits." The British singer didn't end up winning the award, and as it turns out, he didn't enjoy his time at the VMAs whatsoever — keep reading to learn more about his harsh words towards US award shows.

While some musicians look forward to attending award shows like the VMAs, Grammys, and Billboard, it's safe to say that Ed Sheeran is definitely not one of them.

The singer, who attended and performed at the 2021 VMAs, had some choice words about the experience — and about US award shows in general — during an interview on the Audacy segment of "The Julia Show." "The room is filled with resentment and hatred towards everyone else and it's quite an uncomfortable atmosphere," Sheeran explained, before adding that it isn't the artists' fault, but rather the fault of their entourages and groupies: "All the artists are sweet people, but they're, like, surrounded by entourages that want them to win, too, so it's one artist surrounded by 10 people and another artist surrounded by 10 people and everyone is kind of giving each other the side-eye."

Sheeran noted that the VMAs were not singularly horrible, but instead attributed this "uncomfortable atmosphere" to US award shows in general. "It's just lots of people wanting other people to fail and I don't like that," he explained. While he doesn't like US shows, he did clarify that he has no problem with award shows in the UK, like the Brits, attributing it to the fact that "everyone gets drunk and no one really cares who wins or loses." Here's hoping that award shows start to become more enjoyable for the pop singer in the future!