Travis Scott has been removed from the list of performers for the Coachella 2022 festival, according to multiple reports. Palm Springs’ ABC affiliate KESQ reports that Jim Curtis, the community services manager for Indio — the city that hosts the festival each year — confirmed the lineup change.
The news comes as more than 60,000 people signed a Change.Org petition to remove the rapper from the festival’s list of performers after 10 people died and many more injured at his Astroworld Festival in Houston on Nov. 5. The petition urged Goldenvoice, AEG and festival co-founder Paul Tollett to drop Scott, claiming that the rapper displayed “gross negligence and sheer lack of compassion for human life.”
Billboard has reached out to Scott’s reps, Goldenvoice and Indio for comment.
According to Variety, Coachella told the rapper’s agent, Cara Lewis, that it intended to remove him from the lineup, and would pay a kill fee to have him no longer perform.
Scott recently sat down with Charlamagne tha God for his first interview since the Astroworld tragedy. In the nearly one-hour chat that was posted Dec. 9, the rapper discussed the topic of safety several times, noting that he wanted to figure out what happened so that such tragedies can be prevented at future concerts. However, he also indicated that he believed it was the responsibility of “professionals” — and not artists — to take care of planning safety measures.
“As an artist, you just do the creative. And this to be my festival, I got to bring artists, creatively produce it,” he said at one point. “We just trust the professionals to make sure that people are taken care of and leaving safely.”
Nearly 2,800 Astroworld attendees have filed claims against Scott, promoter Live Nation and others who were behind the event, alleging they were negligent in the planning. Attorneys for victims and festival organizers have agreed to consolidate the numerous lawsuits into one massive case to be overseen by a single judge.
Coachella is scheduled to take place April 15-17 and 22-24, 2022, at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, Calif.
