What is it about awards ceremonies and undue outrage and panic? This weekend’s Grammys, as always, didn’t fail to deliver on this front, with thousands of baffled Beyoncé fans bemoaning the fact Harry Styles surprisingly won Album of the Year for Harry’s House.

Never ones to miss out on a social media bonfire, conspiracy theorists jumped on one particular performance at the Grammys ceremony, claiming that Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ rendition of their collaborative hit, ‘Unholy’, was “a satanic ritual.”

Satanic panic is back! “Are you ready for a little controversy?” Madonna had told the Grammys crowd before Smith and Petras arrived onstage to delivery a fiery performance filled with red lighting, pyrotechnics, and dancers in metal cages; the former even sported a horned had, which is probably what had conspiracy theorists really up in arms.

Soon social media was ablaze with reactions. U.S. Republican senator Ted Cruz tweeted that Smith and Petras’ performance was “evil.”

“It’s not surprising to see a satanic ritual at the Grammy’s… Leftism is satanism. The only change is that now they’re being more explicit about it,” wrote blogger and journalist Matt Walsh. You can see some of the other outraged reactions below.

“Don’t fight the culture wars, they say. Meanwhile, demons are teaching your kids to worship Satan. I could throw up,” was conservative commentator Liz Wheeler’s view.

On the more positive side, just as many people were quick to congratulate Smith’s collaborator Petras for becoming the first openly trans woman to win a Grammy (Wendy Carlos won three awards in 1970 before coming out as trans).

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In a moving acceptance speech, Petras gave a lovely shout out to the late, great Scottish producer SOPHIE. “I just want to thank all the transgender legends before me who kicked these doors open for me so I could be here tonight,” she said.

“SOPHIE, especially — my friend who passed away two years ago, who told me this would happen and always believed in me. Thank you so much for your inspiration, SOPHIE. I adore you, and your inspiration will forever be in my music.”

Positive reaction or negative reaction, if you’re going to perform at the biggest night in music, you may as well stoke the online fire a little bit. Sam Smith and Kim Petras clearly knew that.

For more on this topic, follow the Pop Observer.

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