Grammys 2018: James Corden handing out consolation puppies angers animal rights activists

Cute or irresponsible?

(CBS)

James Corden handed out 'consolation puppies' to the Grammy nominees who lost out in the race for the Best Comedy Album - but some animal rights activists weren’t amused.

During the show, which aired Sunday, Corden said: “I should say to all the nominees that are not going home with a Grammy - I don’t want anyone to be upset tonight, so the good news is nobody goes home empty-handed because all night we will be handing out consolation puppies.”

He then continued: “So if you didn’t get a Grammy, you get a puppy,” before adorable puppies were handed out.

And judging by the smiles and shrieks of joy from the recipients, who included Sarah Silverman, Jerry Seinfeld, and Jim Gaffigan, as well as many people on Twitter, the puppies were an excellent distraction from the sting of losing.

Some tweets even suggested the puppies were the best part of the awards show.

Even Anna Kendrick felt the Grammy puppies were the height of the night, tweeting: “One of consolation puppies just got walked past me so the night is pretty much downhill from here. #GRAMMYs”

But others were not pleased with the stunt - claiming the animals’ welfare hadn’t been considered.

Provoking anger from those concerned for the puppies safety, both the British host and the award show were criticised for handing out the puppies.

Peta started the backlash, tweeting: “Very disappointed that the #Grammys chose to gift puppies as a joke. Animals are not toys. #AdoptDontBuy”

In addition to the possibility that the puppies were not properly cared for during the show, others took it a step further - criticising the choice to hand out baby pugs.

The show's organisers have been contacted for comment.