She sparked controversy by claiming that the organization engaged in corruption and favoritism; Champagne Billecart-Salmon responded by pulling their ads from the broadcast, and Megyn Kelly, Gabrielle Union, and others tweeted their support of Dugan.

[12] The ceremony was held on the same day as the death of basketball player Kobe Bryant, to whose memory Keys and Boyz II Men dedicated their performance of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday".

[5] Nominations were announced in all 84 categories by Gayle King, Alicia Keys, and Bebe Rexha on the set of CBS This Morning on November 20, 2019.

[18][19] The ceremony was held at the Staples Center on the same day as the death of basketball player Kobe Bryant, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers — the arena is the team's home venue.

A memorial reel featuring the names of musical artists and industry personnel who had died since the previous year's Grammy ceremony was shown during the telecast.