Walking into Madison Square Garden reportedly meant more than passing through security. According to a new report from Wired, the iconic venue maintained an internal database containing profiles on nearly 40,000 public figures, with some entries including notes about a person's perceived security risk and, in certain cases, sexual orientation, race, or gender identity. The revelations have sparked new questions about how one of the world's most recognizable arenas monitors the celebrities, athletes, and entertainers who enter its doors.
Hip Hop artists were among the names identified in the leaked records. According to Wired, Freddie Gibbs, DaBaby, Lil Jon, and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie were reportedly assigned "high risk" designations, while Ice Spice was listed as "low risk." The files, which were published by the hacker group ShinyHunters and first reported by 404 Media before being analyzed by Wired, allegedly contained 39,539 entries spanning musicians, actors, athletes, politicians, and business leaders. Some celebrity profiles also reportedly included details about race, gender identity, or sexual orientation, although those fields did not appear on every entry.
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James Dolan Faces Continued Criticism
The report further alleges that Madison Square Garden's security team routinely monitored news coverage and social media involving celebrity guests, paying particular attention to criticism directed at James Dolan, the executive chairman and chief executive officer of Madison Square Garden Sports and Entertainment.
Producer Pete Rock told Wired he believes he was labeled "DO NOT HOST" after publicly calling for a boycott of Dolan following the 2017 removal of former New York Knicks star Charles Oakley from the arena. Similar security practices were reportedly used at other venues operated by Dolan's company, including Radio City Music Hall and the Sphere in Las Vegas.
