Amid the never-ending political chaos that is this chapter of American history, awards shows have become an opportunity for celebrities to make their stances known.
From integrating political statements into their wardrobes to winners using their speeches to call out Donald Trump’s administration, here’s how celebrities used their platforms at the 68th Grammy Awards:
1.
Trevor Noah, the former Daily Show host, took the Grammys Crypto.com Arena stage for what he called his sixth and final time hosting, because he “believes in term limits.” So, it’s safe to say he used this last hurrah to say a looot about Trump.
He made this turducken of a joke — commenting on Trump, Greenland, Clinton, and Epstein all in one fell swoop. “Wow, that is a Grammy that every artist wants. Almost as much as Trump wants Greenland,” Noah said, of Billie Eilish’s Song of the Year win for “WILDFLOWER.” “Which makes sense. I mean, because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new island to hang out with Bill Clinton.”
3.
Throughout the night, Noah joked with Bad Bunny about a myriad of topics, namely his Super Bowl contract, which precluded him from performing at the Grammys, much to the host’s chagrin. But Noah set the Puerto Rican artist up for a cheeky joke that surely had MAGA fuming.
After Noah asked Bad Bunny if he could live with him in Puerto Rico if things got worse in the US, Bad Bunny responded, “Trevor, I have some news for you. Puerto Rico is part of America.”
4.
Speaking of Bad Bunny, who made history as the first Latine artist to win Album of the Year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, he used the Grammys stage to make some powerful statements about immigration.
He continued, saying, “We’re not savage. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.”
5.
After taking home the Album of the Year award, he dedicated the award to immigrants. “I want to dedicate this award to all the people that had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams,” he said during his speech.
6.
Another star using their speech time to take a stance was Billie Eilish.
The 24-year-old Grammy Award winner has been very vocal about her opposition to ICE. Recently, she even called out fellow celebrities for failing to do the same.
After “WILDFLOWER” won Song of the Year, Eilish said this in her acceptance speech: “As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land.”
“And, fuck ICE is all I want to say,” she ended.
7.
Eilish’s brother and collaborator, Finneas O’Connell, also stood beside her, wearing a matching white “ICE OUT” pin.
8.
Justin Bieber made his first red carpet appearance at the Grammys since 2022, alongside his wife, Hailey Bieber. The pair wore simple black outfits, with white “ICE OUT” pins.
9.
Kehlani, who also wore an “ICE OUT” pin, took home two awards for her song “Folded” — one for Best R&B Performance, and another for Best R&B Song. When she accepted her first Grammy, she said, “Together, we’re stronger in numbers to speak against all the injustice going on in the world right now. So instead of letting it be just a couple of you here and there, I hope everybody is inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what’s going on. And, I’m gonna leave this and say, fuck ICE.”
10.
Olivia Dean won the Grammy for Best New Artist. The “Man I Need” singer shouted out her immigrant grandparent while accepting her award.
“I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant,” Dean said. “I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”
11.
Chrissy Teigen has been a noted adversary of Trump, whom she once referred to as a “pussy ass bitch,” during his first term in office. While Noah joked about Minaj’s absence from the award show, Teigen held up a thumbs-up behind him.
12.
If you thought Lady Gaga didn’t make her stance on ICE known last night, you probably just didn’t see the back of her head. The now-16-time Grammy Award winner wore a bow with an “ICE OUT” pin at the center of it.
13.
Shaboozey accepted the award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for his song with Jelly Roll called “Amen.” He dedicated the award to immigrants, who, he says, “built this country, literally.”
He hoisted his Grammy up, saying, “This is for them. For all children of immigrants. This is also for those who came to this country in search of better opportunity to be a part of a nation who promised freedom for all, and equal opportunity to everyone willing to work for it.”
“Thank you for bringing your culture, your music, your stories, and your traditions here. You give America color,” the first-time winner said.
14.
Justin Vernon, who started Bon Iver, a solo project that became a band, wore an “ICE OUT” pin and an orange whistle on his lapels. He told Variety that the whistle was an ode to the observers in Minneapolis, who blow whistles to signal to others that ICE is in the area.
“They are there to protect their community, and they’ve been doing it for weeks,” Vernon said of the observers. “It’s great to stop here and celebrate the power of music, but the real work is in the streets of Minneapolis right now, and I’m here to honor them.”
15.
Samara Joy has been consistently taking home Grammy awards for her jazz music since 2023. This year was no different, as she won for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Portrait. On the red carpet, she was spotted with an “ICE OUT” pin.
She told Variety about it, saying, “Now is not the time to get super down or downtrodden about what’s going on, but to speak up and speak out for those who can’t at the moment. It’s the least I could do…I want to stand up. I don’t want to draw attention to myself all the time without recognizing the humanity of all the people experiencing tragedies around the world. I want to speak up for those who can’t.”
16.
Many, many more celebrities were spotted on the red carpet with “ICE OUT” pins, like Brandi Carlile, Joni Mitchell, Amy Allen, and Kamal Wilson.
