The U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly slammed the 2026 Grammy Awards and threatened legal action against host Trevor Noah after a joke about him during the ceremony drew his ire. In a fiery post on his own social platform, Truth Social, Trump blasted the awards show as “the WORST, virtually unwatchable,” and took aim at Noah for a quip referencing Trump and former President Bill Clinton in connection with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s private island. Trump denied ever visiting Epstein’s island or being accused of such, calling the comment “false and defamatory” and warning that he would be “sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C.” for “plenty$” in damages. 

The controversy stems from Noah’s monologue during the Grammys broadcast, in which he joked that Song of the Year is desired by artists “almost as much as Trump wants Greenland,” adding that “since Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.” That line, delivered with Noah’s trademark blend of satire and commentary, was met with both laughter in the audience and immediate backlash online from Trump supporters. 

Trump’s response went beyond disputing the joke; he also criticised Noah’s hosting and the broadcast itself, comparing Noah unfavourably to other late-night hosts and asserting that Noah should “get his facts straight.” Though Trump’s threat of legal action has become a recurring theme in his interactions with media figures, legal analysts note that suing a comedian over a televised joke would raise complex First Amendment and defamation questions especially given the context of satire at an awards show. 

So far, neither Noah nor representatives for the Recording Academy have publicly responded to Trump’s threat. The episode adds another chapter to the broader cultural conversations around comedy, politics, and free speech issues that have often clashed at the intersection of entertainment and public life.