Madison Square Garden Entertainment Sues Wired Over Alleged Defamation

On July 16, 2026, Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG) filed a 40-page defamation lawsuit in New York federal court against technology publication Wired, its parent company Condé Nast, and three Wired journalists—senior reporter Maddy Varner and editors Noah Shachtman and Katie Drummond. The complaint alleges that a July 9, 2026 Wired story misrepresented thousands of customer records that were illegally obtained by the hacking group ShinyHunters in June 2026, creating a false narrative that MSG targeted LGBTQ + celebrities for exclusion.

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The leaked dataset contained roughly 40,000 customer records from MSG’s venues, including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and the Las Vegas Sphere. Wired reported that MSG maintained an internal “talent” database assigning “risk scores” to select individuals; 400 of the records received scores, and 93 of those were labeled LGBTQ. The highest designation, “BANNED FROM MSG,” allegedly prevented entry even with a valid ticket, with rapper Lil Tjay cited as the sole celebrity in that category. Wired also referenced an earlier April 2026 story alleging that MSG’s security team tracked a trans woman for two years.

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs

• James Dolan – Chair and CEO of MSG, also billionaire owner of the Sphere.

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs

• Noah Shachtman – Rolling Stone editor-in-chief and Wired editor, described in a Columbia Journalism Review profile as “aggressive” and prone to “fixed point of view” reporting.

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• Maddy Varner – Senior reporter for Wired.

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• Katie Drummond – Wired editor.

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• ShinyHunters – Hacking group that extorted and leaked MSG customer data.

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs

• ? 40,000 customer records leaked.

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• ? 400 records assigned risk scores ranging from “low risk” to “DO NOT HOST.”

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs

• 93 of those scored individuals were flagged as LGBTQ.

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs

• Only 1 celebrity, rapper Lil Tjay, received the “BANNED FROM MSG” designation.

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs

MSG’s filing contends that the data fields—including sexual orientation—were “standard customer-service notes” used for relationship management, not for discriminatory exclusion. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial, compensatory, presumed, special, and punitive damages, attorney fees, and a court-ordered correction or retraction of the Wired article.

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs

Wired issued a statement asserting that it will “vigorously defend” its reporting and called the lawsuit “baseless and ridiculous.” The outlet also emphasized its mission to “hold power to account” and announced that two related stories previously placed behind a paywall have been made free to the public.

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs

MSG’s attorneys highlighted Shachtman’s editorial history, citing a Columbia Journalism Review profile that described him as “intensely urgent” and “inclined to pursue a story with a fixed point of view.” The filing argues that this pattern demonstrates an ulterior motive behind the Wired piece and frames the reporting as “unethical and inflammatory.”

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Wired maintains that risk scores were assigned based on individuals’ criticism of Dolan on social media, not on sexual orientation. MSG, however, asserts that the LGBTQ label was unrelated to risk assessments and that no “list” of gay celebrities existed. The lawsuit does not provide independent verification of how the risk-score algorithm operated, leaving the precise criteria for “DO NOT HOST” and “BANNED FROM MSG” unclear.

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs

• “Wired combed the dark web, obtained data stolen from MSG by an extortionist hacking group, and cherry-picked fragments of that data to manufacture a false narrative portraying MSG as targeting the LGBTQIA community for discriminatory purposes,” — Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. lawsuit

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs

• “vigorously defend it against this baseless and ridiculous lawsuit.” — Wired statement

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs

• “We look forward to continuing our coverage of MSG, and on billionaire James Dolan’s use of technology across his entertainment empire,” — Wired statement

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs

• “Defendants have crossed the line separating protected journalism from actionable defamation, and this action seeks to hold them accountable for that choice.” — MSG attorney

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MSG’s complaint requests a jury trial; no court date has been set. Wired has indicated it will contest the suit, and both parties are expected to exchange further pleadings in the coming weeks.

Magazine Sued Over Claims That Sphere Owner MSG Kept List of LGBTQ+ Celebs