Trevor Noah opened the 2026 Grammy Awards with sharp statements against Donald Trump and Nicki Minaj.
The Daily Show alum, who hosted Sunday’s ceremony, referenced Minaj’s recent visit to the White House and support for Trump, telling the crowd, “Nicki Minaj is not here, she’s still in the White House with Donald Trump and actually discussing very important issues.”
Noah then imitated Trump and joked, “Nicki, I got the biggest ass, I got it, everyone says it Nicki, I know they say to you, but it’s me, wop, wop, wop, look at it, look at it, baby.’” The crowd cheered at his take.
Noah also highlighted Lauryn Hill’s return to the Grammys, noting that her last performance was in 1999. “In 1999, the president had a sex scandal, people thought computers were about to destroy the world, and (P) Diddy got arrested. Boy, times have changed,” he joked.
As for the star-studded audience, which included Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, Noah compared it to “Jeff Bezos’ wedding, but with a lot more black people.”
The comments came amid protests against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers deployed to several cities as part of Trump’s mass deportation initiative.
In Minneapolis, ICE agents recently came under fire after the fatal shootings of Renee Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 24.
