Celine Dion and Taylor Swift dismiss fan upset after 'snub' with sweet hug photo

6 February 2024, 12:02

Celine Dion presented Taylor Swift with the award for Album of the Year at the Grammys on Sunday, but some fans weren't happy with what happened next.

The Grammys culminated with a surprise appearance from Celine Dion, as she presented the award for Album of the Year to Taylor Swift.

The 66th Grammy Awards place on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and was hosted by Trevor Noah.

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The pop icons crossed paths onstage at the end of the show, in an interaction that some viewers described as awkward.

Celine has been mostly away from the public eye since revealing in December 2022 that she had a rare nerve disorder called stiff-person syndrome. She said the illness causes muscle contractions, mobility problems, and vocal cord issues. She also called off the rest of her Courage World Tour.

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Her sister, Claudette Dion, gave an update in September, saying that the singer was "trying everything to heal." Recently, a Prime Video documentary about Dion's life and journey with stiff-person syndrome was announced, titled I Am: Céline Dion.

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As Celine stepped onto the stage to give out the last award of the night, accompanied by her son René-Charles Angélil, the crowd cheered and gave her a standing ovation. The camera also showed Taylor Swift, who was standing up and clapping, dancing, and singing along to 'The Power of Love'.

"When I say, I'm happy to be here, I truly mean it, from my heart," Celine said. "Those who have been blessed enough to be here at the Grammy Awards must never take for granted the tremendous love and joy that music brings to our lives and people all around the world."

Taylor's Midnights won the Grammy for album of the year, making it her fourth win in the category — a record-setting achievement. She had previously won album of the year for Fearless, 1989, and Folklore.

After Taylor reached the stage to receive the award, she embraced the producer Jack Antonoff, her friend and fellow Grammy-nominee Lana Del Rey, and the sound engineer Laura Sisk. While getting the trophy from Celine, Swift's head was turned to her collaborators in shock over the win.

During her speech, Taylor shared her enthusiasm for her work and mentioned her upcoming concert in Japan as part of the Eras Tour.

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She was probably overjoyed and distracted by the win — but that didn't stop people from calling her "rude" for not greeting Dion properly.

However, the two stars were seen in a lovely hug backstage at the awards show held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday. In the cute picture, Swift put her arm around Dion and placed her hand on her shoulder and the two rested their heads on each other's. They looked thrilled to be meeting up, as they were smiling in the photo that they took together.

Despite fan rumours that emerged on social media suggesting that Swift snubbed Dion when she got the prestigious Album of the Year award amid her excitement in accepting the honour, the two seemed to be in good spirits backstage.