Bad Bunny, king of a 2026 Grammys marked by fierce criticism of Trump and his immigration policies

The 68th Grammy Awards will be remembered not only for the music and surprises, but above all for the way much of the music world openly pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump and his immigration policies. Whether through sharp‑edged jokes from host Trevor Noah or through serious, forceful speeches like Bad Bunny’s, artists expressed their anger over the climate of fear directed at migrants over the past year — especially in recent weeks, following the Minneapolis raids that have become a political and social flashpoint in the United States.

Politics and protest blended into the awards ceremony, which delivered its share of surprises. The biggest one came when Bad Bunny won Album of the Year, becoming the first artist with a Spanish‑language record to receive the honor. Visibly overwhelmed, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — who goes by the artistic name Bad Bunny — could barely stand when Harry Styles announced his name. It was the sixth Grammy of his career, and his second speech of the night with a strong political edge.

Onstage, he spoke almost entirely in Spanish. “Puerto Rico,” he began, to applause, “believe me when I tell you that we are much bigger than 100x35,” he said, referring to a popular way of describing his native island by its approximate measurements in miles. “There is nothing we cannot achieve. Thank you, God. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you to everyone who has believed in me throughout my entire career. Thank you to all the people who have worked on this album. Thank you, mom, for giving birth to me in Puerto Rico. I love you.”

He added: “I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland to follow their dreams – to all the people who have lost a loved one and, even so, have had to move forward with a lot of strength. This award is for you."

During the pre‑telecast ceremony, where most awards are handed out, Ocasio had won Best Global Music Performance for EoO. Later, during the main broadcast, he received Best Latin Urban Album for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. That moment produced the night’s most powerful speech. He opened by declaring “fuera ICE,” prompting the Los Angeles audience to rise in applause. “We are not savages, we are not animals, we are not aliens. We are human beings. We are Americans.” And he assured: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love. Please, we have to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them. We love our people, we love our families, and that’s the way to do it.”

A few minutes earlier, Kendrick Lamar had won Record of the Year for Luther, accepting the award alongside SZA and collaborators including star producer Jack Antonoff. Lamar dedicated the honor to the late musician Luther Vandross, whom he described as one of his favorite artists. Onstage, SZA acknowledged the difficult moment the country is living through and urged people not to fall into despair. “We need each other, we need to trust each other and trust ourselves, trust your heart. We’re not governed by the government, we’re governed by god,” she said.

Kendrick Lamar was breaking records even before the main ceremony began. In the pre‑telecast, he won Best Rap Song for TV Off, Best Melodic Rap Performance for Luther with SZA, and Best Rap Performance for his contribution to Clipse’s Chains & Whips. During the televised gala, he received the first award of the night — Best Rap Album for GNX, presented by Queen Latifah and Doechii. Dressed in a sharp tuxedo, he thanked God and the audience. With these wins, Lamar now holds 27 Grammys, surpassing Jay‑Z’s 24 and becoming the most awarded rapper in Grammy history.

Carole King, wearing an “ICE OUT” pin, presented the award for Song of the Year, which unexpectedly went to Billie Eilish’s Wildflower over heavy favorites like Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, SZA and Kendrick Lamar’s luther, and the viral hit Golden. Eilish seemed stunned by the win and used her speech to declare that “no one is illegal on stolen land,” drawing strong applause. t’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now,” she said, “I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter.” Following her, Tyler, the Creator delivered a spectacular performance, during which he launched a car into the air.

British singer Olivia Dean, 25, whose parents are Jamaican and Guyanese, won Best New Artist. She accepted the award in tears, paying tribute to immigrants. “I think those people deserve to be celebrated, so yeah, we’re nothing without each other,” she said. Since 2017, every winner of this category — from Dua Lipa to last year’s Chappell Roan — has been a woman.

Even the CEO of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr., alluded to the political climate, though in a more restrained tone. “Music is a powerful force for good. It heals us, it unites us and we need that in the city right now,” he said.

Host Trevor Noah, in his sixth and final year leading the ceremony, opened with light humor — jokingly asking Pharrell Williams for discount codes for his Louis Vuitton designs — but quickly shifted into sharper political satire. In his speech, he quipped that Nicki Minaj had skipped the event because she was still at the White House discussing “important issues” with Donald Trump. He joked that the Grammy Awards were coming to viewers “completely live” because “if we edited any of the show, the president would sue CBS for $16 billion” — a reference Trump’s lawsuit against 60 Minutes over an edited interview with Kamala Harris. Noah even riffed on Trump’s supposed interest in acquiring Greenland: “Because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new island to hang out with Bill Clinton.”

Trevor Noah not only thanked Bad Bunny for his speech but also praised him for boosting Puerto Rico’s economy by living on the island and keeping ticket prices accessible for locals. Noah then tried to convince him to perform at the ceremony. Bad Bunny declined, but the host kept pushing — returning to the stage, singing parts of his songs in English and Spanish, and even bringing out a band. Despite the effort, he didn’t succeed: the Puerto Rican artist is saving his voice for his Super Bowl performance next Sunday.

The performances throughout the ceremony were just as impactful as the politics. Rosé and Bruno Mars opened the show with high‑energy guitar‑driven renditions, including last year’s viral hit Apt., which had half the Crypto.com Arena on its feet. Mars returned later with I Just Might. Sabrina Carpenter followed with a lavish staging of Manchild, complete with airport‑themed props after dominating the red carpet earlier in the evening.

The spotlight then shifted to the Best New Artist nominees. The Marías delivered their signature melodic pop, led by María Zardoya’s hypnotic bilingual vocals. Addison Rae made a dramatic entrance in a truck from backstage. Katseye began offstage as well before moving into a full performance of Gnarly. Leon Thomas sang amid the audience tables with electric guitars, while Alex Warren performed Ordinary from the venue’s corridors, rising skyward on a platform accompanied by strings and a choir. Lola Young offered a stripped‑down piano version of Messy, notably omitting the song’s usual explicit language. The medley closed with polished performances by Olivia Dean (Man I Need) and Sombr (12 to 12), the two most‑streamed artists in the category.

Another of the night’s most anticipated performances came from Justin Bieber, who introduced his project Swag appearing onstage in nothing but his tattoos and underwear, accompanied by a guitar and a synthesizer. Lady Gaga followed with a far more elaborate rock‑themed performance of Abracadabra, dressed in dramatic black‑and‑red feathers and wearing a giant eye‑shaped mesh headpiece while playing the piano and interacting intensely with the camera. Minutes later, she won Best Pop Vocal Album for Mayhem. In her speech, she expressed deep respect for everyone in the room, dedicating the award to her fiancé, Michael Polansky, and her producers. “I just want to say, for women in music, that sometimes, when you’re in the studio with a bunch of guys, it can be hard. So I urge you to always listen to yourself and always fight for your ideas,” she said.

Lola Young won Best Pop Solo Performance for Messy, a result that surprised even her given the heavyweight competition from Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan. The award for Best Contemporary Country Album went to Jelly Roll for Beautifully Broken. Holding a Bible and adopting the tone of a televangelist, he proclaimed that Jesus had saved his life, insisted that salvation is available to everyone, and offered repeated thanks to God.

Pharrell Williams received the Global Impact Award, later performing with a gospel choir. The ceremony then moved into a long and emotional three‑part in memoriam segment. The first tribute was led by country legend Reba McEntire, who, at 70, performed at the Grammys for the first time despite her many nominations and past wins. Her segment ended with a major ovation for Ozzy Osbourne, which introduced the second tribute: a performance by Slash, Andrew Watt, and Duff McKagan, joined by Post Malone, in Osbourne’s honor. The final section featured Lauryn Hill and Jon Batiste, who performed in memory of D’Angelo and Roberta Flack.

Another honorary award followed: a lifetime achievement recognition for Cher. “What I want to tell you is never give up on your dreams,” she told the audience. “Live it, be it, and if it’s not happening now, it will happen soon.” Her remarks, delivered while presenting another award, included a few stumbles that led to some confusion.

Among the most notable awards handed out during the untelevised pre‑show was Steven Spielberg’s first‑ever Grammy, earned for Best Music Documentary for The Music of John Williams, a film about the nonagenarian composer. With this win, Spielberg becomes one of only about 27 people to achieve the unofficial EGOT status — holding an Emmy, an Oscar, a Tony, and now a Grammy. Doechii won Best Music Video for Anxiety, Lady Gaga took Best Pop Recording for Abracadabra, and Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo earned Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for Defying Gravity from the first part of Wicked. All of this unfolded across a three‑and‑a‑half‑hour pre‑show followed by an equally long main ceremony, during which 95 awards were presented — now part of music history.

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