Recording Academy Officially Fires Deborah Dugan as President/CEO

by @kaylabrantley

Deborah Dugan has officially been fired as president and CEO of the Recording Academy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The decision was announced on Monday after Dugan was placed on administrative leave in January when she accused the Grammy Awards of being rigged and claimed to have been sexually harassed at the company.

Dugan, who was named president in August 2019, was also accused of misconduct by another employee who said Dugan bullied her to the point that she took a leave of absence.

After an investigation into the claims, the Recording Academy placed her on leave. But now, less than two months later, the exec has been let go.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

In a statement about the situation, the Academy said, “the unwarranted and damaging media campaign that [Dugan] launched in attempt, without justification, to derail the Grammy Awards show” and her “consistent management deficiencies and failures” led to her termination.

The statement continued: “All of this led the elected leaders of the Academy to conclude that it was in the best interests of the Academy to move on.”

The Academy said it will begin searching for a new president/CEO “who will leverage the Academy’s diverse membership and rich history and help us transform it to better serve our members today and into the future.”