Grammys Chief Deborah Dugan EXITS

Just 10 days before the 62nd Grammy Awards, Recording Academy President and Chief Executive Deborah Dugan has been placed on leave after an allegation of misconduct, the organization confirmed Thursday to The LA Times.

Debbie Dugan

Dugan took over on Aug. 1 as the first female president of the Recording Academy, which oversees the Grammy Awards. Dugan replaced longtime Recording Academy Chief Executive Neil Portnow, who suggested in 2018 that female artists should “step up” if they wanted to be recognized at the Grammys.

“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,” according to a statement. “The Board has also retained two independent third-party investigators to conduct independent investigations of the allegations.

“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. “Board Chair Harvey Mason Jr. will serve as interim president and CEO pending the conclusion of the investigation. The Recording Academy Board of Trustees is committed to fostering a safe, diverse, and inclusive workplace, music industry and society.”

A source with knowledge of the Recording Academy’s operations told The Times that Dugan “didn’t fit in, from the get-go.”

Some sources contacted by Billboard would not address the specific allegation of misconduct, but allege that, despite a thorough and months-long search for a new CEO, Dugan had not been a good fit almost from the start.

Her relationships within the organization deteriorated rapidly. “Once there were some indications that she was not cooperating with the staff and the board, everything unraveled surprisingly quickly and in a very complex way,” the source says. “It wasn’t like a single incident. It was a series of issues. I think it goes way beyond not just being a good fit.”

Another source concurs, adding that “when you go in any job, you educate yourself in the past, as well as where you’re at to know how to move forward and I don’t think any of that was done appropriately by her." Academy insiders met with Dugan a number of times to try to "hit the reset button and get on the same page," a sources says, but to no avail.

How her departure may impact the 2020 Grammy Awards ceremony is unclear.

The Grammys will take place at Staples Center on Jan. 26.