Grammys host hits out at Nicki Minaj skipping award show: ‘She’s still at the White House with Donald Trump’

Trevor Noah wasted no time wading into politics during Sunday night’s Grammys.

Returning to host music’s biggest night for a sixth time, Noah came out swinging at President Donald Trump and his MAGA allies during his opening monologue.

“Nicki Minaj is not here,” Noah said, referencing the controversial rapper’s recent outspoken support of the President, which led to her attending a U.S. Treasury event last Wednesday. “She’s still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues.”

The audience at the star-studded ceremony laughed and cheered in response to Noah’s joke, with Chrissy Teigen even giving a thumbs up to the camera.

Noah then jokingly gave his best presidential impression, saying in Trump’s voice: “Actually Nicki, I have the biggest ass! Everybody’s saying it. I know they say it’s you, but it’s me. WAP, WAP, WAP. Look at it, baby.’”

open image in gallery

open image in gallery

Minaj was not nominated for any Grammy at this year’s ceremony. She was last nominated for an award in 2024 for Best Rap Song and Best Song Written for Visual Media for her song on the Barbie soundtrack. The rapper has never won a Grammy, despite being nominated 12 times.

After Noah’s dig, Minaj wrote to her followers on X, “Hey wyd.” She later posted that Democrats are “soulless” and said that other celebrities “continue to attempt bullying.”

The rapper’s recent alliance with Trump has divided her fans. As some criticized her support of an anti-immigrant president, others speculated that she formed the relationship in order to fast-track her residency with the million-dollar Trump Gold Card, which the president promised would get owners citizenship “in record time.”

After appearing at an event with the President last week, the rapper declared: “I am probably the president’s number one fan, and that’s not going to change.”

She added, “The hate or what people have to say, it does not affect me at all. It actually motivates me to support him more. He has a lot of force behind him, and God is protecting him.”

Meanwhile, Noah took another jab at Trump later in the ceremony by joking about leaving his Grammys hosting gig after six years — with a nod to previous speculation about whether or not Trump will run for a third term in 2028.

“I believe in term limits. I wanted to set an example for anyone who might be watching the show,” Noah said while staring into the camera.

“Leave when your time is up.”