Grammys: Trevor Noah takes shot at Trump, his immigration policy
What's the story
Trevor Noah, the famous comedian and former host of The Daily Show, returned as the host of the 2025 Grammy Awards for an incredible fifth year in a row. His opening monologue was packed with jokes about Donald Trump's tariffs, immigration policies, and more. He also touched upon a few music icons including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Nick Cannon, and Rihanna.
Humorous insights
Noah joked how Grammy voting included '20 million illegal immigrants'
Noah opened the ceremony by likening the Grammy Awards to other important occasions. He said, "Welcome to music's biggest night. And when I say biggest, I mean biggest nights. What the Super Bowl is to the NFL. What Valentine's Day is to romance. What Father's Day is to Nick Cannon." The South African comic then explained how the Grammy winners are voted by 13,000 members of the Recording Academy, and joked how the voting also includes "20 million illegal immigrants."
Twitter Post
Here's Noah making his much-talked-about 'illegal immigrant' joke
A lot of them cringed when Trevor Noah said that “20 million illegal immigrants” line, including Docheii.
— Andrew Jerell Jones, Luke 1:37 (BlueSky too now) (@sluggahjells) February 3, 2025
🎥 @TWDTV1 #Grammys pic.twitter.com/AVF620izEk
Celebrity humor
Noah's playful banter about Beyoncé and Taylor Swift
Playfully addressing Beyoncé's then-scheduled appearance, Noah said, "Well, I hope she'll be here. I can't make her do anything." He also joked about her new tour announcement amid the political change, "I will say, though Beyoncé. There's tariffs. We can't afford a new tour, right? Maple syrup is about to be $50." He humorously added Swift could be the first artist to win Album of the Year five times.
AI humor
Noah's remarks on AI in music and LA's resilience
Noah also addressed The Beatles's historic nomination for a song made by artificial intelligence (AI). He quipped, "I think if they win this, this could open up a few doors for them. And who knows, through the power of AI, one day, we could even get another Rihanna album." He also spoke about Los Angeles's resilience after recent wildfires and introduced LA rock duo Dawes who performed a reworked rendition of Randy Newman's I Love L.A.
Charity appeal
Noah's call to action for MusiCares fire relief
Throughout the night, Noah stressed the need to support MusiCares fire relief. He said they would be raising funds for this and other amazing charities. Urging everyone present and those watching at home to be generous, he said, "Give as generously as you can." Meanwhile, the biggest night for Western music is live at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.