As celebrities walked on red carpets, they were smothered by the flash of cameras and the yells of paparazzi and interviewers during the 2026 Grammy Award show at the L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena on February 1. Waiting to be recognized for their musical achievements, artists gather for performances, jokes, and the ceremony to announce the winners in various categories.
Kendrick Lamar was the biggest winner of the evening, with five awards. The best new artist was Olivia Dean, and Bad Bunny won his first album of the year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos.
Although the Grammys are typically remembered for the glitz and glam or the best performance, this year was different. With an unspoken theme of black and white, which was followed by most attendees, others wore more complex pieces including celebrities like, Chappell Roan and Heidi Klum. This year’s Grammys was made up of a collection of mistakes, like incorrect names being called and confusion with the teleprompter. Cher was given the task of announcing Record of the Year, only to call the name Luther Vandross, a R&B and soul singer who passed away in 2005, instead of Kendrick Lamar and SZA for their song “Luther.” While performing his song “Ordinary,” Alex Warren fell a beat behind due to an issue with his in-ear monitor. Chappell Roan was struggling to read the teleprompter while trying to announce Best New Artist. With so many noteworthy moments, the evening was forced to become more memorable for viewers and attendees alike.
The most notable part of the evening would be the amount of political statements directed toward the Trump Administration and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Many celebrities wore pins that said “ICE OUT,” including Justin and Hailey Bieber, Billie Eilish, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and others. Some celebrities mentioned the topic in their acceptance speeches, including Bad Bunny, who stated, “We are not savages, we are not animals, we are not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.” The show’s host Trevor Noah, who was in his sixth and final year of hosting the Grammys, made several statements regarding President Trump. Mentioning Nicki Minaj, who was not in attendance and has recently shared her support of Trump, Noah stated, “She [Minaj] is still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues,” a comment that received several cheers from the crowd and later sparking battles on Twitter. While Billie Eilish accepted her award, she also spoke about the recent use of ICE in America only to be mocked by an influencer, Emily Austin, who has been bashed on a variety of media platforms like TikTok and Instagram for her “loser behavior.” The night was highlighted by the political openness of attendees and fans and the 2026 Grammys will be remembered for it.
By the end of the night, creators and viewers alike truly only ended up with new forms of criticism and questions of whether winners were worthy of their award or not. Although the people were left with new reaction pictures for their TikTok comments, like Addison Rae running off stage during the performance transition to Katseye, or Sabrina Carpenter looking at Bad Bunny, the 2026 Grammys were just another excuse for the most talked about people in the music industry to gather in a room and be judged more than they already are.