Grammys Telecast Cuts Out in Florida for Some During Mass Wedding, AT&T Insists It Was "Not Personal"

Some AT&T U-verse subscribers missed about 10 minutes, during which Queen Latifah officiated a wedding for 33 couples and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis performed with Madonna

By Natalie Finn Jan 28, 2014 1:36 AMTags
Macklemore, Mary Lambert, Madonna, Ryan Lewis, Grammy AwardsKevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Not everyone watching at home got to feel the love emanating from the 56th Annual Grammy Awards last night.

The show cut to black for some AT&T U-verse subscribers in Orlando, Fla., right when Queen Latifah was officiating a mass wedding for 33 couples during Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' performance of "Same Love"—which, as the title implies, supports the right to marry for love, regardless of sexual preference.

Coincidence?

Absolutely yes, according to the cable provider after some wondered whether conservative politics had played a role in the sudden technical glitch while both gay and straight couples were tying the knot on TV.

"Due to a fiber cut [on Sunday night] shortly after 11 p.m., some Orlando, Fla., U-verse customers may have experienced a brief disruption of local TV affiliate channels, including CBS," AT&T said in a statement, per Gossip Cop. "Technicians worked to quickly reroute the impacted video feed and service was restored in about 10 minutes. We apologize for this inconvenience."

Moreover, "We sincerely apologize for the perceived implication of the timing. It definitely was not purposeful."

Kevin Winter/WireImage

Well, at least they had the Internet. Surely a fair amount of viewers who missed that part of the show, which also included Madonna and Mary Lambert, who adds the female vocals to the hit song, have since seen it online. 

The collective I-dos capped off a monster night for Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who went home with four Grammys, including Best New Artist, Best Rap Album for The Heist, and Best Rap Song and Rap Performance for "Thrift Shop."

The mini-sweep in the major hip-hop categories surprised even Macklemore, who texted fellow nominee Kendrick Lamar afterward with the message (that he later posted to Instagram): "You got robbed. I wanted you to win. You should have."

Lamar had seven nominations heading into the night, including Album of the Year and Best Rap Album for Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.