Grammys host Trevor Noah takes swipe at Donald Trump and Nicki Minaj with brutal joke

Comedian Trevor Noah opened the Grammy Awards ceremony with jokes about the rapper's White House visit and an impersonation of the US President that prompted cheers from the crowd

3am

Paige Ingram and Casey Cooper-Fiske Press Association Senior Entertainment Reporter

02:53, 02 Feb 2026

[The 91st Academy Awards Vanity Fair Party Los Angeles]

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Trevor Noah has taken aim at Donald Trump and Nicki Minaj (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Grammy Awards host Trevor Noah has taken aim at Donald Trump and Nicki Minaj as he opened the 2026 ceremony.

After Bruno Mars and Rose opened the show with their single APT, Noah said Minaj, who recently visited the White House and expressed her support for US President Mr Trump, was "not here".

Prompting cheers from the crowd, he said: "Nicki Minaj is not here, she is not here, she is still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues, actually.In an impersonation of the president, he joked: "'Nicki, I have the biggest ass, I have it, everybody's saying it Nicki, I know they say to you, but it's me, wop, wop, wop, look at it, look at it, baby'.

[Donald Trump file photo]

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Donald Trump was the subject of jokes at the Grammy Awards (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

"Noah also made reference to the release of the Epstein files.He said: "The one and only Ms Lauryn Hill will be performing on that stage tonight, which is insane when you think about it, because the last time Lauryn Hill performed at the Grammys was in 1999, you understand how long ago that was?

""Back in 1999, the president had had a sex scandal, people thought computers were about to destroy the world, and (P) Diddy was arrested.

Boy, how times have changed. "Speaking about the star-studded crowd, which included Kendrick Lamar, Tyler The Creator, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, Noah said he felt like he was at Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's wedding "but with way more black people". This follows artists taking a stand against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers being deployed across American cities on the red carpet.

[MTV Video Music Awards 2022 Show New Jersey]

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Nicki Minaj was mocked for her White House visit (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Musicians including Joni Mitchell and Kehlani, alongside Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, were spotted sporting "Ice out" and "Be Good" badges at the ceremony.Kehlani, 30, slammed Ice during her acceptance speech after claiming her first Grammy for best R&B performance for Folded.She declared: "I hope everybody's inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what's going on.

F*** Ice. "Vernon, 44, whose band Bon Iver is up for best alternative music album, explained he donned a whistle to honour the legal observers recording federal agents' activities on the streets."

I think there's a reason that music exists and it's to heal and to bring people together," he told The Associated Press. "But the real work are those observers on the on the ground in Minneapolis. We just want to shout them out."

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers have been stationed in American cities as part of Mr Trump's mass deportation programme, particularly in Minnesota and Minneapolis, where approximately 2,000 have been positioned.

Officials have faced fierce backlash over their heavy-handed tactics, with Ice agents recently shooting dead two individuals on Minneapolis streets: Renee Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 24.

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For the full list of Grammy Awards 2026 winners click here.

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