Sam Smith, Kim Petras 'Unholy' Grammys Devilry Prompts FCC Complaints

Non-binary singer Sam Smith and transgender singer Kim Petras made a statement on anti-LGBTQ+ religions in their Feb. 5 Grammys performance of "Unholy," and triggered a flood of complaints to the FCC, the New York Post reported.

"During the performance, Smith, 30, was clad in red leather and donned a hat with horns protruding from it – evoking comparisons to the devil," the Post detailed.

But those sending their gripes in to the FCC didn't always seem to know exactly what to complain about: the segment's parody of hellfire and brimstone, or its sexual themes.

"The risqué rendition saw both singers and their backup dancers clad in blood-red devil-esque costumes," the Post recounted, before referring to a TMZ report that showcased 18 complaints about the musical number.

TMZ relayed that "the flashpoint is Satan" in the complaints, with some accusing the segment of being "anti-Christian," while others "postulated the song had the potential to 'increase violence against Christians.'"

But on the other hand, maybe it was all that kinky stuff that was the real problem. One complaint was authored by a person who decried the "DEVIL WORSHIPING ACOLYTES" who were "writhing around on the floor virtually naked, and in CAGES."

Another complained that the segment "had people being whipped and in a cage."

The point of the song – and the performance that was crafted around it – was to mock the insistence of some churches that LGBTQ+ people are automatically destined to suffer eternal torment in a lake of fire simply for being who they are. Kim Petras, whose Grammy win made her the first openly transgender woman to take the prize in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category, explained as much to journalists behind the scenes, telling them, "As a trans person, I'm not wanted in religion. It was kind of like 'hell-keeper Kim.'"

Those with a taste for a different flavor of theatrics – including right-wing politicians Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor-Greene – condemned the segment as "evil," with Taylor-Greene (who has espoused Q-Anon conspiracy theories in the past) additionally claiming that "the Satanic Church now has an abortion clinic in NM that requires its patients to perform a satanic ritual before services..."

However, the real experts found the spectacle wanting.

"David Harris, magister for the Church of Satan, found the performance lackluster," TMZ noted.