Trevor Noah’s final Grammys ends with Trump threat as tour rolls on

Trevor Noah’s sixth turn hosting the Grammys on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 (ET) was billed as his last—and it ended up doubling as a flashpoint in a growing culture-and-politics clash. A run of jokes aimed at President Donald Trump and at rapper Nicki Minaj triggered a public rebuke from the White House occupant, including a threat of legal action, turning an awards-show monologue into the week’s most replayed entertainment clip.

With the ceremony behind him, Noah is moving straight back into stand-up dates and weekly podcasting, even as the blowback continues to ricochet online.

A farewell turn on music’s biggest night

Noah has hosted the Grammys six consecutive times, serving as both host and executive producer for the 2026 ceremony. Organizers framed this year as a “final” run, placing Noah among the longest-tenured hosts in the show’s modern era.

The goodbye framing mattered because Noah’s approach—fast, topical, and intentionally broad—has been central to how the Grammys tried to stay relevant in an era of fragmented audiences. His monologues typically mix music jokes with news-cycle punchlines, and this year leaned especially hard into political material.

The jokes that sparked a presidential threat

Two segments from Noah’s night drew the most reaction.

First, during his opening remarks, Noah joked that Nicki Minaj wasn’t in the building because she was “still at the White House” with Donald Trump, “discussing very important issues,” before pivoting into a broader riff.

Later, while introducing a major award, Noah joked about Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland and then added a line tying that to Jeffrey Epstein and an island associated with him—also mentioning Bill Clinton.

Within hours, Trump posted a furious response on social media, calling Noah a “loser,” disputing any suggestion he had ever been on Epstein’s island, and threatening to have lawyers pursue a lawsuit over what he called a false statement. The White House did not announce any formal filing, and the threat remains rhetoric unless it becomes an actual court action.

Noah’s other Grammys headline: a nomination, no trophy

Away from the monologue controversy, Noah entered the night as a nominee for his children’s audiobook Into the Uncut Grass in the category for audio book narration and storytelling.

The award ultimately went to Dalai Lama for an audiobook project, leaving Noah still looking for his first Grammy win (he has multiple career nominations). The loss did little to dent the attention around him, but it added an odd footnote: Noah wasn’t only hosting the ceremony—he was also competing in it.

Tour dates keep coming fast

Even as the Grammys clip cycle continues, Noah’s live schedule is active. He’s in the middle of a winter run with multiple consecutive nights in the Boston area, and he has already added summer dates for new material in the Pacific Northwest.

The fast pivot back to stand-up is typical for Noah: the awards-show hosting is a high-visibility side lane, while touring remains the core engine of his career right now.

What’s next after the hosting era

Noah’s near-term trajectory looks less like a return to nightly television and more like a three-part portfolio: touring, long-form conversation, and producing.

He continues to release episodes of What Now? with Trevor Noah and has increasingly treated audio as a place for longer, less performative conversations than an awards monologue allows. That format also gives him a cleaner runway to respond—if he chooses—without escalating a headline-by-headline feud.

As for the Trump flare-up, the practical question is whether it fades as the news cycle moves on or hardens into an ongoing target for Noah’s material. Either way, his decision to step away from the Grammys hosting chair means this week’s controversy is likely his closing chapter in that role—not the start of a new annual tradition.

Sources consulted: The Recording Academy; Associated Press; Variety; People