Trevor Noah used his 2026 Grammys monologue to mix playful celebrity roasting with pointed political humor, especially about Nicki Minaj and Donald Trump.

Key things Trevor Noah said

  • He joked that Nicki Minaj was not at the Grammys because “Nicki Minaj is not here… she’s still at the White House with Donald Trump, discussing very important issues,” a dig at her public support for Trump.
  • He then slipped into a Trump-style impression, parodying his rambling speech pattern while talking about Nicki, turning their new “friendship” into a running punchline.
  • He opened by comparing the 2026 Grammys to the late‑’90s, joking that back then “the president was involved in a scandal, people thought computers would end the world, and Diddy was being arrested — look how much has changed,” mocking how little things have actually changed.
  • He praised Olivia Dean for standing up to Ticketmaster and ticket resellers, joking that without concerts “how would we find out which CEOs are having affairs on the Jumbotron?”
  • He said he refused to roast Kendrick Lamar too hard, referencing Lamar’s brutal Drake diss and saying he and his “delegation” were “still healing,” a nod to how intense modern rap beefs have become.
  • He teased Pharrell Williams by half‑congratulating him on his award and half‑begging for Louis Vuitton discounts, while joking about Pharrell looking incredible at 52.
  • He played up the star power in the room with lines about it feeling like Jeff Bezos’ wedding “but with more Black people,” and kept returning to the idea that the Grammys have “everyone” this year.

Overall vibe of his monologue

  • Tone: light, sharp, and very current — he wove in Trump, TikTok, ticket prices, and rap beefs instead of just safe industry jokes.
  • Style: moving through the crowd, talking directly to stars like Kendrick, Pharrell, Justin Bieber, Bad Bunny, and Olivia Dean, turning them into live setups for jokes rather than punchlines at their expense.
  • Political edge: the biggest flashpoint was the Nicki Minaj–Trump bit, which lit up social media because it called out her alliance with Trump right in the middle of “music’s biggest night.”

Why it’s trending right now

  • The Nicki/Trump joke felt like a direct shot at both a huge fandom and the current president, so clips of that line are driving most of the online debate.
  • Fans are split between:
    • “He’s just doing political comedy like he did on The Daily Show.”
* “He disrespected Nicki on a night that wasn’t even about her.”
  • It was also his sixth and reportedly final time hosting, so people are treating this monologue as the capstone of his Grammys run.

TL;DR: He joked that Nicki Minaj skipped the Grammys because she was at the White House with Trump handling “very important issues,” did a Trump impression, poked fun at ticket prices and rap beefs, and closed out his final Grammys hosting gig with a mix of crowd‑pleasing jokes and political jabs.

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