Freddie Gibbs appeared genuinely baffled after finding himself named in a report about Madison Square Garden’s alleged surveillance of celebrity guests. A recent Wired investigation said the arena maintained an internal database tracking hundreds of prominent attendees at Knicks games and other events. It assigned them risk levels and, in some instances, noted personal details such as sexual orientation. Gibbs was among the public figures singled out in Pitchfork’s summary of the report. He reacted with the kind of disbelief the revelation seemed to invite. “D’Fuck I got to do with this?” he wrote, punctuating the response with a crying-laughing emoji.
According to Wired, the venue’s so-called “talent” database contained roughly 40,000 entries. Ben Stiller, Tracy Morgan, and Mariska Hargitay were reportedly categorized as “low risk.” Meanwhile, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, and David Harbour were listed as “medium risk.” Gibbs, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, and DaBaby, meanwhile, were each marked “high risk.” The report did not make clear what standards were used to sort celebrities into those tiers. In addition, it was not clear what practical effect those labels had once they were entered.
MSG’s surveillance went far beyond security
The list, however, appears to have gone beyond simple guest management. Pete Rock, Julia Fox, and comedian Adam Pally were reportedly tagged with a “DO NOT HOST” designation. Meanwhile, Lil Tjay was said to be labeled “BANNED FROM MSG” after an altercation with security at a boxing event last year. Those details widened the scope of the story. As a result, it shifted from a tale of celebrity access to a broader examination of how one of the city’s most visible venues monitors the people who pass through it.
Some of the most troubling details involved categories that had little to do with safety. Wired reported that about 100 people in the database were marked with an “LGBTQIA” label, including Ricky Martin and Phoebe Bridgers. Earlier, in a previous collaboration with Wired, Pablo Torre Finds Out reported that James Dolan, the Knicks owner, had allowed surveillance of certain attendees. For example, this included Nina Richard, a transgender woman who was closely monitored during a Pride Night game. She was monitored despite posing no apparent threat.
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