Madison Square Garden Kept Secret Database Scoring Celebrities as Risk Levels
Madison Square Garden maintained a secret database of approximately 40,000 public figures and celebrities, assigning risk scores to about 400 of them and documenting sexual orientation and race for others. The database was exposed in July 2026 after a criminal hacker group published internal company documents, and the venue now faces class-action lawsuits over the surveillance practices and data leak.
What happened
Madison Square Garden maintained a database of approximately 39,539 celebrities and public figures, with about 400 assigned risk scores ranging from "flag" (lowest) to "banned from MSG." The database also flagged approximately 93 individuals as "LGBTQIA" and documented some people's race and gender identity.
The database was exposed in July 2026 after criminal hacker collective ShinyHunters published documents obtained from the company. MSG's on-site facial recognition cameras are used to track every person who enters the building, and security staff actively search the internet and social media for threats or negative comments, with particular attention to anything critical of James Dolan, MSG's executive chairman and chief executive officer.
Reported impact
Celebrities including Phoebe Bridgers, Freddie Gibbs, and Ricky Martin found their sexual orientation documented without their knowledge. Others such as Ice Spice, Selena Gomez, Benson Boone, Lily Allen, Morgan Wallen, and Lil Tjay were assigned risk classifications ranging from low to banned.
DJ Pete Rock was marked "DO NOT HOST" in the database, which he attributes to calling for a boycott of Dolan following the forcible removal of Charles Oakley from the venue.
Index analysis
The database demonstrates that MSG created and maintained detailed profiles of individuals based on their public behavior, social media activity, and other criteria without apparent consent. The tracking system flagged individuals partly based on protected characteristics such as sexual orientation and race.
Governance controls
MSG denied the WIRED reporting as "inaccurate and false" and stated the company is pursuing legal remedies. Madison Square Garden is facing several class-action lawsuits alleging that the data leak resulted from Dolan's surveillance practices, which are also enforced at other company venues including The Sphere in Las Vegas and Radio City Music Hall.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.