Adele won the coveted Album of the Year Grammy last night in a victory many, including Adele herself, believed Beyoncé would take for Lemonade. Adele dedicated half her acceptance speech to Bey, refusing to accept the award on stage. "My life is Beyoncé, and the album to me, the Lemonade album, Beyoncé, was so monumental, and so well thought out," she told Bey and the crowd. "And so beautiful and soul bearing and we all got to see another side of you that you don't always let us see, and we appreciate that. All us artists adore you. You are our light."
Backstage in the press room, Adele expanded on her remarks and heartbreak that Beyoncé didn't win."Like I said in my speech, my Album of the Year is Lemonade," she told reporters (via E!). "So, a piece of me did die inside, as a Beyoncé stan—not going to lie. I was completely rooting for her, I voted for her. I felt like it was her time to win. What the f*ck does she have to do to win Album of the Year?"
Adele revealed she talked to Bey before and after winning. "I spoke to her before just to let her know how honored and privileged I felt to be nominated alongside her, and we spoke afterward as well and she was very gracious and humble, as always, as we've come to expect, And the reason I felt the need to say something is because my album of the year is Lemonade. She is my icon of my whole life."
Adele has been a Beyoncé fan since 1998, when she was 11. "The way that I felt when I first heard [Destiny's Child's] 'No No No' is exactly the same as how I felt when I heard Lemonade last year. There are friendships I have that are completely tied to us being complete Beyoncé stans. I don't take any f*cking sh*t when it comes to anyone not liking Beyoncé. You can't be in my life. You simply can't."
Adele additionally wore a lemon brooch at the ceremony to show her support for Lemonade. During the ceremony, when she was announced winner of song of the year, she mouthed "I love you" to Bey while grabbing her award.
Beyoncé returned the gesture when Adele delivered her Album of the Year speech and called Bey and Lemonade out.
Adele sparked rumors that she would give half of it to Beyoncé when she broke her Album of the Year Grammy in half, though a backstage video shows her exchanging the broken award for a new whole one.
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
