Grammys CEO Deborah Dugan put on ‘administrative leave’ over misconduct allegation

NEW YORK — The Recording Academy has placed Deborah Dugan, its president and CEO of just six months, on administrative leave after an allegation of misconduct by a senior leader at the organization.

The move announced late Thursday comes 10 days before the 2020 Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles.

“In light of concerns raised to the Recording Academy Board of Trustees, including a formal allegation of misconduct by a senior female member of the Recording Academy team, the board has placed Recording Academy President and CEO Deborah Dugan on administrative leave, effective immediately,” the academy said in a statement. “The board has also retained two independent third-party investigators to conduct independent investigations of the allegations.”

Dugan, former CEO of Bono’s (RED) organization, became the first woman appointed to lead the academy. She succeeded Neil Portnow, who led the Grammys since 2002.

Before joining (RED), the AIDS organization that started in 2006, Dugan was president of Disney Publishing Worldwide and executive vice president at EMI/Capitol Records.

Recording Academy Board Chair Harvey Mason Jr., a music producer who has worked with Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson and more, will serve as interim president and CEO of the academy.

“The board determined this action to be necessary in order to restore the confidence of the Recording Academy’s membership, repair Recording Academy employee morale, and allow the Recording Academy to focus on its mission of serving all music creators,” the statement continued.

Dugan didn’t immediately reply to an email seeking comment.

Mesfin Fekadu is an Associated Press writer.