Celebrities break records and stage political protest on television
The 2026 Grammys were full of record-breaking wins and political speeches, sparking both controversy and support. Many celebrities attended the event wearing “ICE OUT” pins and spoke up about recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on stage while accepting their awards.
The GRAMMY Awards are among the most prestigious awards in the global music industry, presented by the Recording Academy of the United States. The televised award ceremony traditionally takes place annually on the first Sunday of February, a week before the highly anticipated Super Bowl. This year marked the 68th Grammy Awards, which took place on Feb. 1. Before the ceremony, music artists, producers, and projects are nominated for different categories of awards. The winners get announced at the ceremony and are presented with a trophy stylized as a gramophone.
The 68th Grammys made its mark on history. American rapper and singer Kendrick Lamar became the most GRAMMY-decorated hip-hop artist of all time. Lamar took home five GRAMMY awards that night, including the Record of the Year award for his song “Luther” with American singer-songwriter, SZA. While Lamar made no political statements during his acceptance speeches, SZA addressed viewers, saying, “Please don’t fall into despair, I know that right now is a scary time. We’re not governed by the government, we’re governed by God.”
Puerto-Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny also made history, taking home three Grammy’s, including the coveted Album of the Year award. His project Debí Tirar Más Fotos makes history as the first Spanish-language album to win the prize. In his acceptance speech, Bad Bunny said, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out. We are not savage, we are not animals, we are not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans.”
Billie Eilish, American singer-songwriter, and her brother, producer and songwriter FINNEAS, won Song of the Year for their single “Wildflower.” This achievement marked another GRAMMY record, as the siblings are the only songwriters to win the Song of the Year award three times. At her acceptance speech, Eilish said, “I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land.” She was censored on broadcasting networks covering the event for ending her speech by saying “Fuck ICE.”
Many other political statements were made that night. Comedian, writer, and actor Trevor Noah wrapped up six years of hosting the Grammys, and he went out with comedic political commentary against President Trump. He later faced backlash from the president himself, who called the ceremony “virtually unwatchable.” Another statement was that at least a dozen celebrities were spotted wearing “ICE OUT” pins, including Billie Eilish, Finneas, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Kehlani, and Joni Mitchell. These pins have been spotted at other high-profile events, including January’s Golden Globes. The pins were organized by activists working in a campaign called “Be Good-ICE Out,” working in response to the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Although the GRAMMY awards have had political segments in the past, this year made history with individual artists speaking up in their own ways about the current political climate in the United States.