Although Trevor Noah usually keeps his Grammy hosting duties free of political discussion, he used his enthusiastic opening monologue to poke fun at Nicki Minaj’s recent turn to fawning over Donald Trump.
After lightly joking with scores of superstars in the audience, Noah pointed out that the A-list rapper wasn’t at the award show. “Nicki Minaj is not here,” he said. “She’s still at the White House with Donald Trump, discussing very important issues. ‘Actually Nicki, I have the biggest ass! Everybody’s saying it. I know they say it’s you, but it’s me. WAP, WAP, WAP. Look at it, baby.’”
Minaj has caused debate among her fanbase recently by her very visible support of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.
Last year, Noah’s monologue was subdued, given the recency of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, but he did take aim at the Trump administration’s tariffs.
The Feb. 1 ceremony is the sixth time that Noah has hosted the Grammys. This is set to be his final time as well, which the show’s executive producer, Ben Winston of Fulwell Entertainment, revealed in January.
“I am beyond thrilled to welcome Trevor Noah back to host the Grammys for his sixth, and sadly, final time,” Winston said at the time. “He’s been the most phenomenal host of the show. He’s so smart, so funny, and such a true fan of the artists and music. His impact on the show has been truly spectacular, and we can’t wait to do it together one last time.”
Meanwhile, criticism of ICE raids has grown even louder in recent weeks, especially following the Jan. 24 shooting death of Alex Pretti. Several Hollywood figures have spoken out against the killing, including Whoopi Goldberg on “The View,” Sundance attendees during a Park City protest, and actors with films at the Sundance Film Festival.
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The 68th Annual Grammy Awards are taking place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Kendrick Lamar has the most nominations of the night with nine, including record of the year, song of the year, and album of the year.
From Variety US