Taylor Swift and Celine Dion Hugged Backstage at the Grammys ...

Taylor Swift can’t put on a necklace without sparking a torrent of commentary online (see the debate over Swift’s Grammys 2024 red carpet look Sunday evening, which included six necklaces and a clock face set to midnight), so it’s no big surprise that there’s a discussion about her onstage manners while accepting her record-breaking fourth Album of the Year award at the Grammys. Some are accusing Swift of snubbing presenter Céline Dion when she took the stage.

The final award of the night was announced by surprise presenter Dion, who made a rare public appearance in the midst of her ongoing struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome, a degenerative neurological condition that causes uncontrollable and violent muscle spasms. In December 2023, Dion’s sister Claudette Dion said that the legendary singer “no longer has control of her muscles,” emphasizing that the vocal cords are also muscles.

“It’s true that in both our dreams and hers, the goal is to return to the stage,” Claudette said of her sister. “In what capacity? I don’t know.”

Céline Dion’s surprise appearance, then, was exactly that: A return to the stage.

“When I say that I’m happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart,” Dion said from the stage after being greeted with a standing ovation. The singer has been forced to postpone her tours indefinitely due to the condition, and her participation in the awards show was a heartening and highly visible signal of her determination to persevere in the face of the rare disease. In November 2023, when she stepped out to see a hockey game with her three sons in Las Vegas, it was the first time she'd been seen in public in three years. 

When Swift took the stage after her name was called for the award, she dragged collaborator Lana Del Rey onto the stage by the hand, hugging it out with Jack Antonoff and several others onstage. Dion appeared to congratulate Swift, who did not seem to respond, the moment that some are pointing to as a snub. Context, however, is everything. It’s worth noting that Swift was seen giving Dion a standing ovation when she took the stage, singing along to Dion’s “The Power of Love” blaring over the speakers. Swift and Dion were also photographed hugging and smiling backstage just minutes after the award. 

Not only did Swift break the record for most Album of the Year wins Sunday evening, passing her prior tie with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, and Stevie Wonder, she announced a release date for an album—just not the one fans had predicted. While accepting her first award of the night, Swift shared that on April 19, 2024, she'll release a new album, The Tortured Poets Department.

Representatives for Taylor Swift and Céline Dion did not immediately respond to requests for comment.