Comedian Ricky Gervais pushed back against political commentary from Grammy Awards winners, reviving a long-standing criticism of celebrities using award speeches as platforms.
After the ceremony, Gervais shared a post on X recalling his 2020 Golden Globes monologue, when he told award winners not to turn acceptance speeches into political commentary.
"If you do win an award tonight, don't use it as a platform to make a political speech," Gervais said during that Golden Globes broadcast. "You're in no position to lecture the public about anything.
"You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg."
In the caption accompanying the reposted quote, Gervais wrote, "They're still not listening."
Several Grammy winners and participants made political statements during Sunday's ceremony, particularly focused on immigration policy and criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Bad Bunny, who won the Grammy for Best Musica Urbana Album for "DeBi TiRAR MaS FOToS," opened his acceptance speech with the phrase "ICE out.”
"We're not savages, we're not animals, we're not aliens — we are humans, and we are Americans," he said, according to Sky News.
Bad Bunny is scheduled to perform during Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show.
Billie Eilish also addressed immigration during her acceptance speech after winning song of the year for "Wildflower.”
"No one is illegal on stolen land," she said. "It's just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I just, I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter."
The ceremony also drew a reaction from President Donald Trump following comments made by host Trevor Noah.
During the broadcast, Noah referenced Trump's past remarks about the U.S. potentially acquiring Greenland and made a joke linking the president to Jeffrey Epstein.
Noah quipped that Trump wanted "a new island to hang out with Bill Clinton."
Trump responded early Monday with a post on Truth Social, condemning the broadcast and Noah's remark.
He described the Grammy Awards telecast as "virtually unwatchable" and accused Noah of making a "false and defamatory statement" on CBS.
Trump denied ever visiting Epstein's private Caribbean island and said the remark went beyond political humor, warning that legal action would follow.
Trump said he would be "sending my lawyers" to sue Noah "for plenty$," adding that the comedian "better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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