Rapper Childish Gambino made history at the 61st Grammy Awards last night, but he was noticeably absent from the show. Where was Donald Glover, the real name of the rapper, during his history-making evening?

His album, This is America, won four awards last night. Best Music Video, Song of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Performance and Record of the Year all earned Gambino honors. It was the first time in Grammy history that a rap song won Song of the Year and Record of the Year, according to Billboard magazine. However, Glover did not appear on stage once to accept any of the four awards, despite being spotted in Los Angeles a couple of days before the big event.

The last time the rapper was seen was at Ludwig Göransson pre-Grammy party, where he was sporting a new blonde beard. Göransson did attend the Grammys; he co-wrote This Is America with the rapper and accepted the awards. Reporters were quick to ask Göransson why Glover was not in attendance, but his response only sparked more questions.

“I haven’t talked to him yet, but I’m going to call him after the award show, and I’m sure we’re going to have a little conversation,” replied Göransson. USA Today has reported that the cowriter tried calling Glover after the show but did not get a response then either.

Once it became clear that Glover would not be accepting any awards, the rest of the This Is America team was hounded by reporters questioning not only where the rapper was but why he was not there. No one could give a definitive answer to either question.

“The last time I’ve seen him was a couple of days ago, and he walked out, and I haven’t seen him since. I think anything Donald does is a little strange,” shared Riley Mackin, who was a producer on the album.

Neither the rapper nor a rep for him has released a statement regarding his whereabouts during the Grammy’s. Producer Ken Ehrlich recently told The New York Times that Glover was asked to perform at the show, but he declined. There was no explanation as to why the rapper said no.

Where in the world is Childish Gambino and what kept him away from a history-making night at the Grammy Awards? Hopefully, both questions will be answered soon by the rapper or at the very least someone close to him.

Advertisement

Is his being MIA from the show odd or does it fit his persona?