It was supposed to be a new day for the Grammy Awards.

After years of bruising criticism over the show’s poor record of racial and gender diversity — both onstage and behind the scenes — the Recording Academy, the nonprofit that oversees the awards, had charted a path toward change.

Out was the longtime chief executive Neil Portnow, who roiled artists and fans alike with the cataclysmic suggestion that women in music should “step up” if they wanted recognition. In his place was Deborah Dugan, a charismatic executive who had led Bono’s Red charity and came armed with an ambitious and unsparing diversity report by a task force led by Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff.

This new era was set to make its public debut at the Grammys on Sunday, led by a fresh crop of nominees like Lizzo, Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish. But last week, after just five months on the job, Ms. Dugan was abruptly placed on leave, sending the organization into code-red chaos on the eve of the 62nd annual ceremony.

The academy said that Ms. Dugan had been accused of bullying behavior by an assistant and then sought a $22 million payout to go quietly, a charge Ms. Dugan denied. She fired back on Tuesday with a 44-page complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that accused the academy of retaliating against her for uncovering misconduct including sexual harassment, voting irregularities and rampant conflicts of interest among board members.