Cole Walliser, the operator of E!'s Glambot high-speed camera, was absent from the Grammy Awards red carpet on Sunday following a series of online controversies, Variety has learned. Network insiders confirmed that Walliser was not hired for the event, and E! is rethinking its strategy for future broadcasts.
The controversy began at the Golden Globes in January, where Jennifer Lopez appeared stoic while using the Glambot, leading to accusations of rudeness. Walliser defended Lopez, calling her a professional. However, the incident led to the leak of an old email exchange between Walliser and a bride-to-be hoping to book the Glambot for her wedding.
In the emails, Walliser questioned the bride's ability to afford the service, writing, 'I don’t see how you could be since I didn’t say how much it was and could be between $10,000 and $1,000,000.' He added, 'If you wanted to know how much it costs you just needed to ask, you don’t need to pretend you are going to book it.' The exchange sparked backlash, prompting Walliser to apologise on Instagram last week.
Walliser said in his apology, 'The tone in these emails was dismissive and curt and that is not OK. In 2019, I didn’t have a team around me... I was overwhelmed. But that is not an excuse.' A production source told Variety that E!, now under Versant following a split from NBCUniversal, is committed to maintaining a respectful environment and does not condone such behaviour.
E! declined to comment, and Walliser's representative did not respond to requests for comment. The Glambot, invented in 2016 by director Joseph Kahn, continued to operate at the Grammys without Walliser.
