What to Know
Last month, Glambot producer Cole Walliser came under fire after his controversial social media post involving Jennifer Lopez‘s visit to the red carpet camera… and again after he was exposed for a rude exchange he reportedly had with a bride who wanted to book his services for her wedding. But after he was missing from Sunday’s Grammy Awards, it sounds like we may never see him on another red carpet again.
The Glambot may now be a thing of the past.
Many fans noticed that E!’s red carpet coverage of this year’s Grammys was missing the Glambot, the 360-degree camera that snaps photos of celebrities and their outfits that has become a staple during awards season. According to Variety, the network decided not to hire Cole this time around after all of the backlash that just played out in the public eye.
This may not be a temporary change, either — a source told the outlet that E! is rethinking their approach entirely, which means they may never use the Glambot again in the future. The powers that be at the network were unimpressed with the way Cole handled the drama and are “committed to maintaining a respectful and professional environment and does not condone behavior that is inconsistent with its standards.”
Some awards viewers aren’t that broken up about it.
In a post about the discussion that unfolded on Reddit, many fans admitted that they weren’t surprised at all to hear that Cole wasn’t asked back.
“I think he was a bonus attraction, gaining clout and screen time, and access to celebrities. When he was nice guy with the machine and hair? Sure whatever,” one commenter wrote. “Once he became a tabloid item, who’s going to bat for that guy? Next. Keep it moving. Expendable.”
Others think that once some time passes and the situation isn’t at the forefront of everyone’s minds, he’ll be back, with one writing, “Ehh kinda feels like the Grammys didn’t want the recent drama overshadowing the event or affecting the guests. I bet he’ll be back once everything blows over.”
Cole has already attempted to apologize.
After a bride spoke out about how quickly he shut down her inquiry about hiring the Glambot for her wedding, Cole took to Instagram to issue an apology. He claimed that back in 2019, when the conversation went down, he didn’t have a “team” helping him and was still new to the business.
“I think the hardest part about all of this is being labeled racist,” he said in the video. “I’m half Chinese and growing up, issues of identity, race and belonging deeply affected me and I would never intend to inflict that onto anybody else. But I do understand that reading these emails, people could be upset, and assume bias, especially given the frequency at which people of color can experience being dismissed, and so I take responsibility for my words, irregardless of what my intent was.”
