Trevor Noah Jokes About Nicki Minaj in His Last Grammys Monologue: “She’s Still Hanging Out with Donald Trump”
During his opening monologue at the Grammy Awards, Trevor Noah took a parting shot at rapper Nicki Minaj while hosting the prestigious ceremony for the sixth and final time. The audience responded with cheers as he quipped that Minaj was “still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues,” mimicking the former president’s voice to deliver a humorous take on the situation.
“Nicki Minaj is not here, she is not here, uh,” he began. He continued with a mock exchange: “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.”
Minaj, despite receiving 12 nominations throughout her career at the Grammys, has yet to take home a win. Her most recent nomination was in 2024 for the track “Barbie World,” featured in Greta Gerwig’s film Barbie.
Trevor Noah, who also served as an executive producer for the Grammy ceremony held at Downtown Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on February 1, began his monologue with a light-hearted joke about Bruno Mars and Rosé’s hit song “APT,” likening the rules of the popular Korean drinking game to current events in America. “In America, every time you turn on the news, you drink,” he quipped.
Throughout the monologue, Noah reflected on the state of national politics without delivering overt political statements. He announced that legendary artist Lauryn Hill would perform for the first time since the turn of the millennium. “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,” he remarked.
While acknowledging the star-studded audience, which included Jamie Foxx and Pharrell, he joked, “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?”
Noah began hosting the Grammys during his tenure on The Daily Show and continued in the role after leaving the show in December 2022. This year marks the end of the Grammy Awards’ long-standing 53-year run on CBS, as the show will transition to ABC next year as part of a 10-year deal with Disney. The Grammys will air on ABC, Hulu, and Disney+ from 2027, extending through 2036.
Kendrick Lamar leads the 2026 nominations with nine, including Record, Song, and Album of the Year. Lady Gaga follows with seven nominations for her album Mayhem, and both Sabrina Carpenter and Bad Bunny received six nominations, all competing in major categories.
Trevor Noah at the #Grammys: “Nicki Minaj is not here. She’s still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues” pic.twitter.com/wJOP0WMHGz
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) February 2, 2026
