Features
Grammy Gatecrasher Says Stunt Was ‘Spontaneous’
The man who was arrested after attempting to upstage Adele at Sunday’s Grammy Awards has a new message for the singer: “help me.”
Vitalii Sediuk says his appearance onstage at the Grammys was a spontaneous event and that he is only now realizing that it might have legal consequences for him. The Ukrainian journalist, who did not have a ticket to the awards show, spent several hours in police custody before being released with a trespassing citation and a March 4 court date.
Photo: John Shearer/Invision/AP
Accepting the award for best pop solo performance at the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
Sediuk briefly took the microphone Sunday night before Adele accepted her award. He only got a few words out before Jennifer Lopez shooed him away.
“It was spontaneous,” Sediuk said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “It was not planned of course”
He said he realizes now that he may be banned from covering award shows, which would be problematic for a reporter who’s already got a reputation for awkward celebrity encounters. Last year, Will Smith slapped Sediuk, 24, after he tried to kiss him on a red carpet, and he drew Madonna’s ire a year earlier by presenting her a bouquet of flowers she hated.
He said he hopes that Adele, who called Lopez her “good luck charm” at Sunday’s show, will help him out of his latest mess.
“Oh Adele. Help me not to go to jail,” Sediuk said.
He said he arrived at the show in a car that had access to the red carpet, and he did a few interviews before attempting to follow Nicole Kidman into the show. She stopped to talk to reporters and he then followed in Katy Perry – all without a guard ever stopping him to ask for a ticket. Once inside, he got a seat near the stage, apparently taking Adam Levine’s seat.
“I didn’t really think about the fact that I didn’t have the ticket,” he said.
Publicists for the Grammys did not return email messages about security at the event. The show received additional police protection due to the ongoing hunt for ex-officer Christopher Dorner, who is suspected of three killings and has stated a desire to target police and their families.
Los Angeles police said Sediuk was arrested by private security who were responsible for making sure those at the show belonged.
Sediuk said he had to get creative because he didn’t get a media credential for the show. Before going onstage, Sediuk said he had been daydreaming about receiving an Academy Award. He also said he wanted to be able to send in an interesting report. The incident is unlikely to shock those who know Sediuk, he said. “It was not a surprise to them.”
He said he hopes the incident exposes some security flaws. “It’s their fault as well,” he said.
In addition to being slapped by Smith, Sediuk garnered attention for giving Madonna a bouquet of hydrangeas at the 2011 Venice Film Festival. The actress-singer promptly stashed them under a table, declaring, “I absolutely loathe hydrangeas.”
Lopez looked less than pleased but remained composed during the incident Sunday. Sediuk’s stunt went largely unnoticed until his arrest was first reported Monday night by The Hollywood Reporter.
“Like Adele said, she’s her good luck charm,” Lopez’s publicist Mark Young wrote in an email Tuesday.
Publicists for Adele and Levine didn’t return messages seeking comment.
Sediuk said that he was initially excited about the whole incident, but he is now more apprehensive about the prospect of going to court. He still thinks the stunt was worth it.
“I don’t regret doing anything,” he said.