Trevor Noah torches Nicki Minaj’s Trump allegiance, Diddy and Jeff Bezos in wild Grammys 2026 opening monologue
Trevor Noah roasted Nicki Minaj over her support of President Donald Trump in front of her music industry peers during the 2026 Grammy Awards on Sunday night.
The comedian, 41, who returned as host for the sixth consecutive year, took aim at the rapper, 43, just minutes into his explosive opening monologue.
Noah first called out Minaj’s noticeable absence at the ceremony after praising several of the big name stars in attendance.
‘Nicki Minaj is not here,’ he said, before sarcastically adding, ‘She is still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues.’
Noah then launched into a Trump impersonation as he made a racy joke about the President’s backside.
‘”You know what, Nicki, I have the biggest a**. I have it. Everybody’s saying it, Nicki. I know they say it’s you but it’s me. Wap, wap, wap! Look at it, baby!”‘
Trevor Noahtook aim at Nicki Minaj and her support of President Donald Trump in his explosive opening monologue at the 2026 Grammy Awards on Sunday night
Minaj and President Trump seen on January 28
The bit earned roaring laughs from the jam-packed arena, as well as some groans as celebrities like Chrissy Teigen, a known Trump critic, nervously looked on from their seats.
Minaj has made headlines in recent days after calling herself Trump’s ‘number one fan.’
She appeared in Washington, DC last week for an event on Trump Accounts, where she notably took Trump’s hand in front of photographers.
Noah’s jab at Minaj’s Trump allegiance wasn’t the only political take inserted into the former host of The Daily Show’s monologue.
He kicked off with a joke about America’s volatile news cycle, which has been dominated by criticism of Trump’s administration, the ongoing ICE raids and outrage over the recent shooting deaths in Minnesota.
He made the joke after explaining the meaning behind Bruno Mars and Rosé’s Grammy nominated hit APT, which the duo performed at the top of the show.
‘By the way, APT. is inspired by a Korean drinking game,’ he shared. ‘You stack your hands on top of each other, someone shouts a number, you count up, and if your hand hits the number, you drink.
‘That’s way more complicated than the drinking game we have in America. In America, every time you turn on the news, you drink.’
‘Nicki Minaj is not here,’ he began. ‘She is still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues’
Noah couldn’t help but take a dig at Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his $50 million wedding to new wife Lauren Sanchez as he remarked that the 2026 Grammys are just like it ‘but with way more Black people’; Sanchez and Bezos seen in June 2025
Noah couldn’t help but take a dig at Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his $50 million wedding to new wife Lauren Sanchez.
The nuptials, which were held last June, saw the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Sydney Sweeney and Kim Kardashian flock to Venice, Italy to celebrate the couple.
After praising Jamie Foxx and other big named stars in the building, including Queen Latifah and Tyler, The Creator, Noah remarked that this year’s Grammys ‘felt like I’m at Jeff Bezos’s wedding but with way more Black people.’
Noah also snuck in a jab at disgraced music mogul Diddy while celebrating the return of Lauryn Hill, who is performing at the Grammys for the first time since 1999.
‘You understand how long ago that was?’ Noah asked the crowd.
‘Back in 1999, the president [Bill Clinton] had a sex scandal, people thought computers were about to destroy the world, and Diddy was arrested.
‘Boy, how times have changed,’ he joked.
Diddy is currently serving a 50 month sentence after being found guilty of two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution back in July after a highly publicized trial that featured gut-wrenching testimony by the rapper’s ex Cassie Ventura.
While Noah came equipped with several jaw-dropping jokes, much of his opening monologue was spent celebrating the ‘royalty in the house.’
As he admired all the fashionable stars in close proximity to him, Noah narrowed in on Pharrell Williams and jokingly asked the Louis Vuitton creative director if he had ‘discount codes’ to share.
Noah also snuck in a jab at disgraced music mogul Diddy
!['Back in 1999, the president [Bill Clinton] had a sex scandal, people thought computers were about to destroy the world, and Diddy was arrested. Boy, how times have changed,' Noah said](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2026/02/02/01/106022945-15518565-_Back_in_1999_the_president_Bill_Clinton_had_a_sex_scandal_peopl-m-70_1769997270755.jpg)
‘Back in 1999, the president [Bill Clinton] had a sex scandal, people thought computers were about to destroy the world, and Diddy was arrested. Boy, how times have changed,’ Noah said
However, one of his A-list interactions appeared to go sour.
When Noah approached Justin Bieber, the reclusive pop star smirked awkwardly with rapidly blinking eyes as the comedian spoke about his Grammy nominations.
‘Justin Bieber is back in the house!’ Noah exclaimed. ‘Over the last few years, this young man has done so many amazing things. His album SWAG [is] nominated. Four Grammy nominations.
‘And I think better than any Grammy, he’s come back as a new dad,’ said Noah, before congratulating Bieber and his wife Hailey, who was seated beside him, on the birth of their son Jack Blues in August 2024.
However, Noah’s speech took a turn as he mocked Bieber over his December 2025 social media rant about the placement of the dictation button on the Apple iPhone.
At the time, Bieber playfully threatened that if he ‘hit this dictation button after sending a text and it beeps and stops my music one more time’ that he was going to ‘find everyone at apple and put them in a rear naked choke hold.’
Bieber further lamented, ‘Even if I turn off dictation I somehow hit the voice note thing. The send button should not have multiple functions in the same spot.’
Noah sarcastically thanked Bieber for his Instagram rant, calling him a ‘hero.’
He then proposed that Bieber next demand that Apple ‘make a new feature [that] when you search on your phone it finds things.
Much of his monologue was spent celebrating the stars in the room but his interaction with Grammy nominee Justin Bieber took an awkward turn
Bieber grimaced as Noah teased the singer over a viral Instagram post he made a few months ago
‘Please, Justin. We need you.’
Bieber looked tense as he mouth ‘ok’ before Noah then turned to Hailey to ask her for a ‘discount code’ for her Rhode skincare line’s famous ‘lip tints.’
Bieber made a strange face and leaned away from Noah after hearing the request, which was clearly a joke.
Despite the awkwardness, Noah kept it moving as he shifted his focus to ‘the most talented siblings in the world’: Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS.
‘Every other parent are like, “What are my kids doing? Nothing with their lives,”‘ Noah said.
While praising rising star Olivia Dean for her work with Ticketmaster to stop scalpers and ticket resellers, Noah referenced the viral Coldplay kiss cam drama that unfolded last year.
‘If the fans can’t afford tickets, we can’t have live music, and without concerts, how would we find out which CEOs are having affairs on the Jumbotron?’
Noah concluded his monologue by introducing Sabrina Carpenter, who is up for six awards, to the stage to perform her hit Manchild.
The latest and greatest in the music industry have descended upon Los Angeles’s Cypto.com Arena on Sunday, February 1 in celebration of the 2026 Grammy Awards.
The 68th annual ceremony, widely considered to be ‘Music’s Biggest Night,’ is being broadcast live on CBS and is also available to stream on Paramount+ starting at 5pm PT / 8pm ET.
Nominations were announced in November, with 22-time Grammy winning rapper Kendrick Lamar leading the pack with nine nods.
Lady Gaga comes in close second with seven nominations, along with Taylor Swift’s longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff and renown pop producer Cirkut.
While Noah came equipped with several jaw-dropping jokes, much of his opening monologue was spent celebrating the ‘royalty in the house,’ including Jelly Roll
Sabrina Carpenter, whose 2025 album Man’s Best Friend snagged six nominations, will be among the A-list musical acts to perform during the three-hour show.
Gaga, Justin Bieber and K-pop sensation Rosé will also take the stage.
This year, the Recording Academy introduced two brand new categories: Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover.
The new country category will distinguish between ‘contemporary’ and ‘traditional’ country music – formally splitting the Best Country Album into two – following Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter sweep at the 2025 ceremony.
‘The Academy’s top priority is to represent the music people that we serve each year,’ said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. of the changes back in June.
‘That entails listening carefully to our members to make sure our rules and guidelines reflect today’s music and allow us to accurately recognize as many deserving creators as possible.’
Only recordings commercially released in the United States between August 31, 2024 through August 30, 2025 were eligible for 2026 nominations.
The final round of Grammy voting, which determined its winners, took place from December 12, 2025 to January 5, 2026.
