NEWS
WIRED says it “stands by this reporting, and plans to vigorously defend it against this baseless and ridiculous lawsuit”
Madison Square Garden has launched legal action against WIRED, alleging that the publication defamed the venue through a report claiming it maintained information about gay celebrities.
At the beginning of this month, WIRED published a story titled “Madison Square Garden Kept a List of Gay Celebrities”. The report alleged that the arena maintained a private database of famous individuals and VIPs containing categories related to sexuality, race and perceived “risk” levels.
Soon after the report appeared online, a Madison Square Garden representative completely rejected its claims and told NME: “Wired’s reporting is inaccurate and false. MSG is pursuing legal remedies.”
The venue has now named WIRED, its owners, reporters Noah Shachtman and Maddy Varner, and editor Katie Drummond as defendants in its lawsuit.
The legal complaint was submitted to a New York trial court yesterday, Thursday July 16, and alleges defamation along with interference involving contracts and obligations.
According to MSG, WIRED presented misleading information that led audiences to believe the venue monitored gay celebrities so they could be prevented from attending events. The arena called this a “false implication” and maintained that the reality was completely different.
“Defendants published the Article with knowledge of its falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth,” MSG stated in its complaint, according to Consequence. “This is not the first time Defendants have rushed to publish clickbait in place of facts, but it should be their last.”
MSG acknowledged that it stored details about the sexual orientations of some celebrities, but said the purpose was to “further inclusion”. It claimed the information helped it invite LGBTQIA community members to events involving sponsorship opportunities and community programmes. The venue said these details were treated like information about birthdays or favourite sports teams and were never applied in a discriminatory way.
In its court documents, MSG alleged that WIRED had “report[ing] false and purposely misleading ‘facts’ to generate a story with complete disregard for the truth and their ethical obligations as journalists”.
The venue also characterised the report as an example of “shockingly unethical conduct”. It argued that the “implication that MSG maintains a database with a sexual orientation field for exclusionary, discriminatory, security, or risk-based purposes is a lie”. The complaint further stated that “Defendants knew there was no nefarious ‘list’ of gay celebrities”.
MSG highlighted its previous support for LGBTQIA organisations and initiatives. The company has requested that the matter be decided by a jury and is pursuing financial compensation from WIRED.
WIRED also issued a statement about the legal action on X, standing behind the information published in its original report.
“We stand by this reporting, and plan to vigorously defend it against this baseless and ridiculous lawsuit,” the publication said.
“We look forward to continuing our coverage of MSG, and on billionaire James Dolan’s use of technology across his entertainment empire. It’s one part of our wider mission and the critical job of journalists, now more than ever: holding power to account.”
