Grammys 2026 was a nightmare to anti-DEI mob, and Trump is furious

Queer artists, Latinos, Spanish-language albums, hip hop titans, and young artists were the main characters at the 68th Grammy Awards — and it was truly beautiful to see it. The Grammys have been a big, beautiful celebration of the power of diversity in recent years, and the 2026 ceremony maintained that energy.

Below, we break down how the 2026 Grammy Awards became a nightmare for the anti-DEI rhetoric pushed by Trump, Republicans, and the MAGA movement, as a diverse group of musicians across race, gender, age, sexuality, and languages made history all night long.

What did Trevor Noah say about Donald Trump while hosting the 2026 Grammys?

Trevor Noah, a comedian born in Johannesburg, South Africa who hosted Comedy Central's The Daily Show for seven seasons and hosted the Grammy Awards six times, had very few jokes for President Trump, actually. One jab stood out in particular not only for bringing up the sought-after Jeffrey Epstein files, but also for involving former U.S. President Bill Clinton instead of singling out Trump.

"Song of the Year: That is a Grammy that every artist wants… Almost as much as Trump wants Greenland!" Noah joked at one point in the ceremony. "Which makes sense, because Epstein's island is gone; he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton."

What did Donald Trump say in reaction to Trevor Noah's Epstein joke at the 2026 Grammys?

The Trump regime is maintaining its lawfare practices that target artists, TV networks, comedians, and journalists, as well as the platforms that broadcast their voices. This time, the president specifically threatened comedian Trevor Noah, who hosted the Grammys for the last time this year.

"The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable! CBS is lucky not to have this garbage litter their airwaves any longer," Trump wrote in a TruthSocial post. "The host, Trevor Noah, whoever he may be, is almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards. Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island. WRONG!!! I can't speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight's false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media."

Trump continued, "Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast. It looks like I'll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$. Ask Little George Slopadopolus, and others, how that all worked out. Also ask CBS! Get ready Noah, I'm going to have some fun with you! President DJT."

The irony here is that several artists shared much fiercer statements confronting Trump and MAGA voters, whereas Noah was his usual polite self. The comedian openly discussed that the 2026 Grammys was his last time hosting the awards show, adding that the broadcast itself was also on its way out from CBS.

In other words: Unlike the reportedly political reasons for canceling The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, CBS has no future Grammys ceremony to cancel, nor an existing contract with Noah to keep hosting the awards show.

And yet, Trump wasn't raging against the Grammys simply due to Noah's jokes… That much is clear.

Several musicians wore 'ICE OUT' pins on the 2026 Grammys red carpet.

As seen in the above Instagram carousel, Billie Eilish, Kehlani, and Justin Bieber were among the several artists who wore "ICE OUT" pins while walking the red carpet for the 2026 Grammy Awards.

Bad Bunny says 'ICE OUT' during his first acceptance speech at the 2026 Grammys.

Bad Bunny won three awards at the 2026 Grammy Award, two of which were televised. In the lead-up to his headlining performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show this coming Sunday, the Puerto Rican reggaetonero kept a low profile on social media and interviews rather than engaging with the conservative outrage over being picked by the NFL to headline that performance.

At the Grammys, though, Bad Bunny broke that polite silence right away.

"Before I say thanks to God, I'm gonna say… ICE OUT," Bad Bunny said in his first acceptance speech at the ceremony for winning Best Música Urbana Album. "We're not savages, we're not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans. Also I want to say to people… I know it's tough to not to hate on these days. And I was thinking, sometimes we get contaminados [contaminated]…but the hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love."

Bad Bunny added, "So, please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don't hate them. We love our people. We love our family. And that's the way to do it. With love. Don't forget that, please. Thank you. Thank you, God. And thank you to the Academy."

Bad Bunny wins Album of the Year, makes history, and delivers his entire speech in Spanish.

Bad Bunny also won the coveted 2026 Grammy Award for Album of the Year with his LP titled Debí Tirar Más Fotos, and. this victory was historic in a few ways.

Of note, Debí Tirar Más Fotos has become the first-ever Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year. This top award at the 68th Grammy Awards also followed Bad Bunny's win of Album of the Year at the 26th Latin Grammy Awards, which took place just a few months ago.

Bad Bunny said (in Spanish; here translated into English) while accepting the Album of the Year award:

"Puerto Rico. Believe me when I tell you that we are much bigger than 100 by 35 [a reference to the size of the island of Puerto Rico in miles]. There is nothing that we cannot achieve. Thank God. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you to all the people who have believed in me throughout my entire career. To all the people who worked on this album. Thank you, Mom, for giving birth to me in Puerto Rico! I love you!"

Bad Bunny added, "For all the people who have lost a loved one and even so have had to keep moving forward and continue with great strength, this award is for you. Thank you for so much love. I love you guys. To all the Latinos in the entire world and all the artists who came before and deserved to be on this stage accepting this award. Thank you very much."

Billie Eilish wins Song of the Year for the third time.

Billie Eilish and Finneas won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for the third time during last night's ceremony — more than any other artist in Grammys history. To recap, Eilish's Song of the Year awards include "Bad Guy" in 2020; "What Was I Made For?" in 2024; and "Wildflower" in 2026.

The previous record, two wins, was held by a list of artists such as Adele, Bono, Brody Brown, Adam Clayton, D'Mile (consecutive wins) The Edge, James Horner, Will Jennings, Henry Mancini, Bruno Mars, Johnny Mercer, and Larry Mullen Jr.

During her speech, Eilish was clearly emotional about winning the award not only for its significance, but also for celebrating this victory at a time when so many people in the U.S. are being detained and murdered by ICE.

"No one is illegal on stolen land," Eilish said during her acceptance speech. "It's just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now. I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we need to just keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. Our voices really do matter; people do matter."

Grammy winner for Best New Artist, Olivia Dean, also speaks up for immigrants.

The dazzling Olivia Dean won Best New Artist and also delivered a speech about immigrants, which reflected her own experiences and heritage.

"I'm up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant," Dean said while accepting the award. "I wouldn't be here… [Pause.] I'm a product of bravery. And I think those people deserve to be celebrated. So, yeah, we're nothing without each other."

Kendrick Lamar surpasses Jay Z in overall Grammy wins and honors Luther Vandross in his acceptance speech.

Kendrick Lamar won three Grammy Awards this year, reaching an overall 27 Grammy wins throughout his career. This means that Lamar has now officially surpassed Jay-Z, who won 25 Grammys in his career.

The most noteworthy 2026 Grammy Award win for Lamar was Record of the Year, which went to "Luther." For context, the track samples Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn's 1982 duet "If This World Were Mine" — and, during his speech, Lamar paid tribute to Vandross, a closeted queer musician who passed away in 2005.

The late, great Vandross (a closeted queer artist) being honored by a rapper like Lamar is absolutely remarkable.

Aura V becomes the youngest-ever Grammy Award winner.

Aura V, age 8, won the 2026 Grammy Award for Best Children's Music Album alongside her dad, Fyütch, for their album Harmony. This turned Aura V into the youngest artist to ever win a Grammy.

This record was previously held by none other than Blue Ivy Carter herself — yes, Beyoncé and Jay-Z's daughter — who was 9 years old when she won a Grammy for Best Music Video.

Jelly Roll dodges ICE question, underscoring the ceremony's pushback against Trump's policies.

Jelly Roll chose to not answer a question about ICE in the press room after winning a Grammy Award, underscoring that right-leaning artists felt absolutely outnumbered at the 2026 Grammys.