By Abigail Brandwein
Throughout their careers, artists dedicate themselves to perfecting their craft and expanding their influence in hopes of making it onto one stage – the Grammys. But as the 2026 awards progressed, more and more celebrities began using that stage as a platform to voice their political opinions. Not only were this year’s Grammys a celebration of musical achievement, but of artists whose successes are matched by activist courage.
The awards began with host Trevor Noah, a notable talk show star and author, whose opening monologue included numerous jokes that criticized the Trump administration. The most striking was a joke regarding President Trump’s appearances in the Epstein Files, where Noah remarked “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 out with Bill Clinton”.
Shortly afterwards, the Grammys were outwardly condemned by Trump, who both called the show “garbage” and threatened to sue Trevor Noah.
Furthermore, as awards were dealt to their respective winners, acceptance speeches evolved to concern recent ICE dissent and defend immigrant communities across the United States. Bad Bunny, who received multiple Grammys including Album of the Year and Best Musica Urbana Album, delivered a powerful speech in protest of deportation policies. He recited, “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans”.
Other artists, such as Billie Eilish and Kehlani, also spoke out against ICE during their time on the Grammys stage. To spread awareness and show support, celebrities such as Justin & Hailey Bieber, SZA, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Brandi Carlile, Teddy Swims, and Finneas wore pins with the slogan “ICE OUT”.
In more understated protest, Olivia Dean and Shaboozey wove pro-immigrant remarks into their speeches. “I think it’s great to see such influential people using their platforms to inspire change,” said Chloe Swift, a junior at Irvington High School.
Comments are closed.