Los Angeles [US], February 2 : The opening of the Grammy Awards had its share of laughs and sharp jokes, as Trevor Noah returned for the sixth and final time as host. Performing his opening monologue at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Noah took aim at some of the biggest names.
Early in his speech, Noah joked about singer Nicki Minaj, who was not present at the ceremony. He played up the crowd reaction and then delivered a mock scene involving US President Donald Trump.
"Nicki Minaj is not here, she is not here, uh. She is still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues: 'Actually, Nicki, I have the biggest ass, I have it. Everybody's saying it Nicki, I know they say it's you, but it's me. Womp womp womp, look at it baby," said Noah, according to Deadline.
Nicki Minaj has been nominated 12 times at the Grammys but has never won. Her last nomination came in 2024 for the song Barbie World from the Barbie film.
Noah also joked about current events and the news cycle. While explaining a Korean drinking game linked to Bruno Mars and Rose's hit song APT., he compared it to life in the US. Talking about the game, he told the audience: "In America, every time you turn on the news, you drink."
He then looked back at how things have changed since the late 1990s. While talking about Lauryn Hill returning to the Grammy stage for the first time in many years, Noah compared past and present headlines.
"Back in 1999, the president had had a sex scandal, people thought computers were about to destroy the world and Diddy was arrested -- boy how times have changed," Noah said.
Noah also joked about the number of famous faces in the audience. While naming stars like Jamie Foxx, Pharrell and Doechii, he compared the room to a billionaire wedding. He told the crowd, "There are so many stars in this room, I feel like I'm at Jeff Bezos' wedding, but with way, way more Black people, you know what I mean?"
This year marks Noah's last time hosting the Grammys. He first took on the role while he was still hosting The Daily Show and continued even after leaving the show in 2022. He is also serving as an executive producer for this year's ceremony.