Madison Square Garden Fires Back: Shocking Lawsuit Over Explosive Celebrity 'Risk Scores' Allegations Unveiled

Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation filed a defamation lawsuit on July 16 against Wired Magazine over an article published last week that claimed the midtown Manhattan arena used surveillance to track celebrities’ race, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

According to the Wired article, published on July 9, celebrities and other dignitaries who have attended home games at Madison Square Garden were assigned “risk” scores, ranging from “low risk” to “DO NOT HOST.” The article also alleges the database labeled nearly 100 people as “LGBTQIA.” There are nearly 40,000 entries in the “talent” database, each with specific labeling designations.

The lawsuit obtained by USA TODAY Sports and filed in New York State Supreme Court also names Wired contributing editor Noah Shachtman, co-author Maddy Varner and Wired Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond as defendants and alleges the article was “unethical and inflammatory.” MSG alleges in the lawsuit that Wired and the article’s authors continued to promote the piece in the days following publication “without concern for the truth and with the intent to cause maximal public impact.”