<\/p>\n
Madison Square Garden has filed a lawsuit against WIRED, accusing the outlet of defamation over an article that claimed it was keeping records of gay celebrities.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month WIRED ran an article with the headline \u201cMadison Square Garden Kept a List of Gay Celebrities\u201d, which alleged that the arena kept an internal database of celebrities and VIPs that included labels for sexuality, racial identity and \u201crisk\u201d levels.<\/p>\n
Shortly after the article went live, a spokesperson for Madison Square Garden denied the reports entirely, telling NME<\/a>: \u201cWired\u2019s reporting is inaccurate and false. MSG is pursuing legal remedies.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, the arena is suing the publication, its ownership, journalists Noah Shachtman, Maddy Varner, and editor Katie Drummond.<\/p>\n The suit was filed yesterday (Thursday July 16) in a New York trial court and claimed defamation and interference with contracts and obligations.<\/p>\n WIRED is accused of lying in the article to make readers believe that MSG was tracking gay celebrities to exclude them from events \u2013 something which the arena says is a \u201cfalse implication\u201d and the opposite of the truth.<\/p>\n Madison Square Garden has sued WIRED for defamation, accusing the publication of falsely implying it tracked LGBTQ celebrities in order to exclude them from events.<\/p>\n In a statement, WIRED said it stood by its reporting and called the lawsuit “baseless and ridiculous.”\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) July 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cDefendants published the Article with knowledge of its falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth,\u201d MSG said in their complaint (via Consequence<\/a>). \u201cThis is not the first time Defendants have rushed to publish clickbait in place of facts, but it should be their last.\u201d<\/p>\n MSG also said that while it did keep information on celebrities\u2019 sexual orientations, this was only done to \u201cfurther inclusion\u201d and invite members of the LGBTQIA community to events where they could get involved in sponsorship opportunities and community outreach. It added that the information was held in the same regard as details like birthdays and favourite sports teams, and was never used to discriminate.<\/p>\n In their filing, MSG accused WIRED of \u201creport[ing] false and purposely misleading \u2018facts\u2019 to generate a story with complete disregard for the truth and their ethical obligations as journalists\u201d.<\/p>\n They also described the article as showing \u201cshockingly unethical conduct\u201d, and claimed that the \u201cimplication that MSG maintains a database with a sexual orientation field for exclusionary, discriminatory, security, or risk-based purposes is a lie\u201d. The filing added that \u201cDefendants knew there was no nefarious \u2018list\u2019 of gay celebrities\u201d.<\/p>\n MSG has outlined that it has a history of supporting LGBTQIA causes and organisations, has asked for a jury trial, and is seeking money for compensation from WIRED.<\/p>\n A statement from WIRED leadership. pic.twitter.com\/06d9qTD9dy<\/a><\/p>\n