Was Cole Walliser at 2026 Grammys? GlamBOT Director Not Seen on Red Carpet After Apologizing for Controversial Email Exchange

GlamBOT director Cole Walliser seemingly skipped the 2026 Grammys, despite the red carpet being chock-full of celebrities ready for their slo-mo close-up.

Although a common fixture during awards season, the content creator was not present at music’s biggest night after making headlines for a couple of controversial moments in the past month.

In a video shared on Feb. 1 by E! (the network that typically hosts the GlamBOT during major shows like the Grammys), Bad Bunny can be seen at the photo op, while a woman directs his pose. Typically, Walliser is present in the behind-the-scenes clips and often goes viral with his celebrity interactions, as was the case with Jennifer Lopez at the 2025 Golden Globes. PEOPLE also confirmed Walliser was not present on the carpet.

PEOPLE reached out to a rep for Walliser but did not immediately hear back.

On Jan. 18, Walliser addressed claims that the pop star was rude to him at the event when clips of Lopez walking away with a wave went viral on social media.

“I didn’t take it personally. It didn’t feel rude in that moment,” he explained. “I think there’s a couple things that added to the fuel of this idea. One, she’s just down to business. The carpet was closed. She’s ready to go inside. She knew what she was gonna do. She got into the position.”

Walliser added in the video that red carpet events are typically “a really crazy environment.” When people approach his GlamBOT station, sometimes they are confused.

“Sometimes they don’t know what they’re walking up to. You know what I mean? And I’m not just talking about J.Lo here. I’m talking about a ton of celebrities in the past that sort of land, and they’re like, ‘What’s going on?’ It’s just because it’s just so crazy.”

Walliser concluded by stating that a celebrity has never mistreated him. “I’ve never felt anybody was rude to me. I think people are at work. They’re rushed. The world is crazy, and I never take it personal,” he said.

Shortly after, Walliser made an apology on social media after a resurfaced email exchange between himself and a woman looking to book his GlamBOT services for a private event in 2019 garnered attention online.

In the emails, Walliser appeared to doubt that the client, named Yinka Animashaun, could afford to book the service before he had shared the six- to seven-figure fee. In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Animashaun said she was left “hurt” and “angry” by the interaction. Walliser did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

Later, in a Jan. 27 Instagram apology video, Walliser took accountability for his “tone” and actions, and explained his mindset during the time in which the email exchange took place.

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“In 2019, I didn’t have a team around me. It was just myself,” he explained. “I edited every single video. I answered every single email and I was overwhelmed. But that is not an excuse. Everything lands on me.”

“I think the hardest part about all of this is being labelled racist,” he said of responding to Animashaun, who identifies as a Black woman. “I’m half Chinese and growing up, issues of identity, race and belonging deeply affected me and I would never intend to inflict that onto anybody else.” 

“But I do understand that reading these emails, people could be upset, and assume bias, especially given the frequency at which people of color can experience being dismissed, and so I take responsibility for my words, irregardless of what my intent was.”

The Grammys are broadcasting live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on CBS or stream them live and on-demand on Paramount+.