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The fourth time’s a charm! Trevor Noah kicked off the 66th Annual Grammy Award with a hilarious monologue on Sunday, February 4. The comedian, 39, made light of the recent backlash surrounding Taylor Swift as she supports her boyfriend Travis Kelce at his NFL games. Taylor arrived to the award show as Trevor began to speak about her in his monologue. “As Taylor Swift moves through the room, the local economy around those tables improves,” he began.
Shortly after a clever joke saying that Lionel Richie was now “Lionel Wealthy,” Trevor spoke about Taylor at the NFL games. “I think it is so unfair how NFL fans have been complaining about the cameras cutting to Taylor Swift, like she’s controlling the cameras at the games. Just let her live!” he said.
He continued with a clever joke about the backlash. “Every time they mention Taylor Swift, I’m going to get revenge. Every time someone says ‘Taylor Swift,’ I’m going to cut the cameras to someone who played football,” he said, before the camera cut to Terry Crews. “You like that, Terry Crews? You better fix your face Terry! We’re watching you all night. No relaxing for you.”
This marks the fourth year in a row that the comic has served as the host for Music’s Biggest Night! He first emceed the big show in 2020. Over the years, The Daily Show alum has been a huge part of plenty of magical Grammy moments, such as when he introduced Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to Adele, who is a superfan of the actor, during the 2023 award show.
Besides being a host this year, Trevor is also a nominee! He’s up for the Best Comedy Album award for his special I Wish You Would. He’s up against Wanda Sykes, Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, and Dave Chappelle in the category. It’s the second time that the comic has been nominated for the award. The first time was in 2020 when he was nominated for his special Son of Patricia, but unfortunately, he lost to Dave Chappelle with his special Sticks and Stones.
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While Trevor has clearly done a great job as the host (he has been asked back three times in a row after all), he has been involved in some controversy during his time hosting the show. After Kanye West called him out over a segment on The Daily Show, where Trevor broke down the drama between Kanye with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her then-boyfriend Pete Davidson, the rapper was barred from attending the 2022 award show. Trevor tweeted that he disagreed with the Recording Academy’s decision by reiterating the points he made in his broadcast. “I said counsel Kanye not cancel Kanye,” he wrote.
