The BRIT Awards used to be about more than trophies, gowns and music chart placements. It used to be a place where music, culture and politics intersected. Because as long as music has existed, it has been a vehicle for speaking out.
In 1995, Prince appeared with the word “SLAVE” written across his cheek, as a quiet but unmistakable protest against his record label dispute and the broader treatment of artists within the industry.
In 2018, Stormzy used his performance to confront the UK government directly regarding the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, rapping, “Yo, Theresa May, where’s that money for Grenfell?” and calling officials “criminals.”
In 2020, Dave delivered a standout, politically charged performance of Black, introducing new verses that criticised media treatment of Meghan Markle, demanded justice for the Windrush generation and condemned the government’s response to Grenfell.
Even as recently as 2023, political expression remained visible when Wet Leg announced “F*** the Tories” in their acceptance speech, reflecting broader social frustration in the UK at the time.
Artists speak out, whether through music or speech. Whether it’s the anti-war stance taken by The Chicks during the Iraq War era, or countless other moments when musicians treated the stage as a public forum rather than purely an entertainment spectacle.
So I find myself asking: why did the 2026 BRIT Awards feel so painfully sanitised of free expression?
At the 2026 ceremony, host Jack Whitehall had several of his political jokes censored during broadcast, including references to politicians — specifically a mention of Peter Mandelson in connection with the Epstein Files.
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When Geese won Best International Group, the band was prevented from fully delivering their intended acceptance message when attempting to say “Free Palestine” and “F*ck ICE,” both of which were censored during broadcast audio.
The incident was not isolated. A similar situation occurred at the previous week’s BAFTA ceremony, where director Akinola Davies Jr’s “Free Palestine” statement was removed from broadcast coverage during his acceptance speech.
Another instance of reported censoring occurred when Angry Gringe presented a BRIT Award and reportedly said “London is a sh*thole,” a remark that was also muted during broadcast, seemingly to ITV’s disapproval.
But while those moments were bleeped out — and, in my opinion, rather clumsily — other material remained in the broadcast. That included jokes referencing sexual humour involving Paddington Bear (who, thankfully, was not invited to this ceremony) as well as darker lines framed as comedy, such as the reference to West End Girl: “This torpedo didn’t sink a ship, it destroyed a harbour,” in reference to her ex, David Harbour.