Madison Square Garden Sues Wired for Defamation Over Report on Celebrity 'Sexuality Database'

Madison Square Garden Entertainment has filed a defamation lawsuit against tech publication Wired. The dispute stems from a Wired article published July 9 titled "Madison Square Garden Kept a List of Gay Celebrities," which claimed the Manhattan venue built a database tracking the gender identity and sexual orientation of hundreds of musicians and other celebrities. MSG denies the report's accuracy and is responding with legal action.

What the report claims, and the basis of the lawsuit

According to Wired, companies under MSG, operating under the direction of James Dolan, allegedly tagged numerous artists, naming Morgan Wallen, Ice Spice, Selena Gomez, Benson Boone, Fat Joe, and Ricky Martin among those flagged. The report claimed dozens of well-known entertainers were tracked in total.

MSG says the report is false and defamatory, and its complaint demands that Wired retract the story and pay damages. Wired had not publicly responded as of this writing.

Background: MSG and Dolan's history of controversy

James Dolan's MSG Entertainment has faced repeated public-relations controversies in recent years, including its use of facial recognition technology to bar certain lawyers and their family members from entering the venue — an episode that drew widespread criticism and legislative scrutiny between 2022 and 2023. The outcome of this defamation suit will shape how venues and media outlets contend with each other going forward.