Trump threatens to sue Trevor Noah after Grammy's host made joke about Epstein island
The US President hit out at the joke, writing: "The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable!"
Donald Trump threatened to sue Grammy Awards host Trevor Noah after he cracked a joke suggesting Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein's island.
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The president attacked Noah for saying Trump wants Greenland because "with Epstein's island gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton."
Trump unleashed on the "virtually unwatchable" ceremony on Truth Social early Monday morning.
He said: "Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island. WRONG!!!"
Trump added that while "I can't speak for Bill" he has "never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused being there, not even by the Fake News Media."
Suggesting he may file a lawsuit against Noah for defamation, he said: "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$."
The South African comedian poked fun at both Trump and Clinton after they were both part of unsubstantiated allegations in a recent document dump of Epstein files from the Department of Justice.
He said: "Song of the Year, that is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein's island is gone, he needs a new one to hang new one to hang out with Bill Clinton."
Speaking about the star-studded crowd, which included Kendrick Lamar, Tyler The Creator, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, Noah said he felt like he was at Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's wedding "but with way more black people".
It comes after artists protested against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers deployed in US cities on the red carpet.
Singers Joni Mitchell and Kehlani, and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon were among the artists wearing "Ice out" and "Be Good" pins at the awards.
Kehlani, 30, cursed Ice in her acceptance speech as she won her first Grammy for best R&B performance for Folded.
She said: "I hope everybody's inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what's going on. F*** Ice."
Vernon, 44, whose group Bon Iver is nominated for best alternative music album, said he wore a whistle as a tribute to the legal observers documenting the actions of federal agents in the streets.
"I think there's a reason that music exists and it's to heal and to bring people together," he told The Associated Press. "But the real work are those observers on the on the ground in Minneapolis. We just want to shout them out."
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers have been deployed in US cities as part of Mr Trump's mass deportation initiative, most notably in Minnesota and Minneapolis, where around 2,000 have been deployed.
Officers have come under strong criticism over their aggressive approach and most recently, Ice agents fatally shot two people on the streets of Minneapolis: Renee Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 24.
All the Grammy winners 2026
General Categories:
- Song of the Year: Billie Eilish - Wildflower
- Record of the Year: Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA - Luther
- Album of the Year: Bad Bunny - Debí Tirar Más Fotos
- Best New Artist: Olivia Dean
Pop:
- Best Pop Vocal Album: Lady Gaga - Mayhem
- Best Pop Solo Performance: Lola Young - Messy
- Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande - Defying Gravity
- Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Laufey - A Matter Of Time
Dance/Electronic:
- Best Dance/Electronic Recording: Tame Impala - End Of Summer
- Best Dance/Electronic Album: FKA twigs - Eusexua
- Best Dance/Pop Recording: Lady Gaga - Abracadabra
Latin:
- Best Latin Pop Album: Natalia Lafourcade - Cancionera
- Best Música Urbana Album: Bad Bunny - Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Rock:
- Best Rock Performance: Yungblud ft. Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, Adam Wakeman, II - Changes (Live From Villa Park) Back To The Beginning
- Best Rock Song: Nine Inch Nails - As Alive As You Need Me To Be
- Best Rock Album: Turnstile - Never Enough
Alternative:
- Best Alternative Music Album: The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World
- Best Alternative Music Performance: The Cure - Alone
Metal:
- Best Metal Performance: Turnstile - Birds
Rap:
- Best Rap Performance: Clipse, Pusha T & Malice feat. Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams - Chains & Whips
- Best Melodic Rap Performance: Kendrick Lamar with SZA - Luther
- Best Rap Song: Kendrick Lamar feat. Lefty Gunplay - TV Off
- Best Rap Album: Kendrick Lamar - GNX
Country:
- Best Country Solo Performance: Chris Stapleton - Bad As I Used To Be
- Best Country Song: Tyler Childers - Bitin' List
R&B & Afrobeats:
- Best R&B Performance: Kehlani - Folded
- Best R&B Song: Kehlani - Folded
- Best R&B Album: Leon Thomas - Mutt
- Best African Music Performance: Tyla - Push 2 Start
Production & Songwriting:
- Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Cirkut
- Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical: Amy Allen
Film, TV & Media:
- Best Comedy Album: Nate Bargatze - Your Friend, Nate Bargatze
- Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media: Sinners - Various artists
- Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: Ludwig Göransson - Sinners
- Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games: Austin Wintory - Sword of the Sea
- Best Song Written for Visual Media: Huntr/x - Golden (From K-Pop Demon Hunters)
- Best Audiobook Narration: Dalai Lama - Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama
- Best Music Video: Doechii - Anxiety
- Best Music Film: John Williams - Music by John Williams
Jazz:
- Best Jazz Vocal Album: Samara Joy - Portrait
- Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Sullivan Fortner feat. Peter Washington & Marcus Gilmore - Southern Nights
- Best Alternative Jazz Album: Nate Smith - Live-Action
- Best Jazz Performance: Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade - Windows (Live)
Classical & Theatre:
- Best Musical Theatre Album: Buena Vista Social Club
- Best Opera Recording: Heggie: Intelligence
- Best Orchestral Performance: Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie - Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)