Where was Cole Walliser at the 68th Grammy Awards? The familiar face present at all the prestigious events around the calendar was missing at music’s biggest night, and it did not go unnoticed. His absence from the event, which took place on February 1 (local time) at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, came right after he got involved in certain controversies.
Cole is best known as the operator behind the Glambot, a high-speed camera that captures slow-motion shots for the E! network. According to a report by Variety, the longtime red carpet producer was not hired for the 2026 Grammy Awards following a wave of backlash tied to his recent controversies. Although the Glambot appeared on the red carpet, it was operated by another individual.
Sources
shared with the aforementioned media outlet that Cole was not brought on for the Grammys and that the network is reassessing its approach to future red carpet coverage.
How Did The controversy Related To Cole Walliser Begin?
Cole got entangled in a web of controversies after the Golden Globe Awards, which took place on January 11. During that ceremony, Jennifer Lopez stopped by the Glambot while wearing a vintage Jean-Louis Scherrer gown. At one point during the livestream, the actor-singer appeared reserved and did not engage much with the Glambot director. This led a section of people online to accuse her of being dismissive.
Later, when the situation got out of hand, Cole jumped in to defend JLo. He said that she is experienced and professional when working the press line. But the tide turned when screenshots of an old email exchange between him and a private individual were released. The emails showed Cole responding dismissively to a woman who had inquired about booking the Glambot for her wedding.
Yinka Animashaun, a Nigerian-American entrepreneur, shared a screen recording of her 2019 email exchange with Cole on X. In her first message, she wrote, “Are you/the Glambot available for private events such as a wedding? I’d love to have you at mine on September 20 and September 22. Please let me know your availability and rates!”
Cole replied, “It is not cheap, if you feel like something like this might be within your budget range, then I am happy to discuss further.” She responded politely, “Yeah, it’s something in my budget range.”
Cole Walliser Has Apologised
The messages sparked widespread criticism, leading Cole to issue a public apology. In an Instagram post, he said, “The tone in these emails was dismissive and curt, and that is not OK. In 2019, I didn’t have a team around me. It was just myself. I edited every single video. I answered every single email, and I was overwhelmed. But that is not an excuse. Everything lands on me.”
However, the apology did not appear to satisfy E!. A production source said the network, now operating under Versant after its split from NBCUniversal, is focused on maintaining a professional and respectful working environment and does not support behaviour that conflicts their values.
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