Jul 3
Donald Glover Riffs on BET Giving Him as Many Awards as Sam Smith
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Donald Glover went after BET in a wry riff over the fact that he and non-binary British singer Sam Smith "are neck and neck" in terms of awards from the cable channel.
At the podium of the BET Awards to present the prize for Album of the Year, Glover – who performs rap music under the stage name Childish Gambino – took a moment to vent, Entertainment Weekly reported.
"This isn't personal, but I just feel like I should have more BET Awards," the 40-year-old "This Is America" rapper told the audience. "I'm serious. It's the 'Black Entertainment Television Awards.' How much more entertaining do I have to do? Because it's just the math of the fact."
Also not adding up: The fact that, with five Grammys to his name, Glover has outpaced fellow entertainer Will Smith.
"I have more Grammys than Will Smith, which makes no sense," Glover told the laughing crowd, "but I have the same amount of BET awards as Sam Smith."
Four of those five Grammys are for the aforementioned "This is America" from 2018, which also garnered Glover his sole BET Award, for Video of the Year.
Sam Smith won their BET in 2015 as Best New Artist, EW recalled.
The "Community" star went on to list just what he'd be willing to do for a little more recognition from the network. "If I have to do 'Baby Boy' or something, just let me know," the creator of "Atlanta" urged. "I'll have Jonathan Majors put me in a headlock, shave my head, I'll do it."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
