Trevor Noah took a comedic swipe at Nicki Minaj’s headline-grabbing relationship with Donald Trump while kicking off the 2026 Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1.
During his opening monologue at the Crypto.com Arena, Noah moved through the crowd greeting nominees and past winners — then paused to point out one notable absence.
“Nicki Minaj is not here. She is not here,” Noah, 41, said, drawing loud applause from the audience. In the background, attendees Chrissy Teigen and John Legend reacted to the moment, with Teigen offering a thumbs-up that appeared to endorse the jab.
Noah then delivered his punchline: “She is still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues,” he said, before launching into a playful impression of the president.
“Actually Nicki, I have the biggest ass. I have it, everybody’s saying it Nicki. I know they say it’s you, but it’s me WAP, WAP, WAP. Look at it, baby,” Noah joked.
Minaj has been in the spotlight recently following her appearance at the Trump Accounts Summit in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 28, where she publicly praised Trump and described herself as his biggest supporter.
“There, she declared herself ‘the president’s No. 1 fan,’ adding, ‘that’s not going to change,’” Minaj said at the event.
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“The hate — or what people have to say — it does not affect me at all. It actually motivates me to support him more,” she added. “And it’s going to motivate all of us to support him more.”
Minaj also told the crowd, “We’re not going to let them get away with bullying him,” before closing with a religious note: “He has a lot of force behind him, and God is protecting him. Amen?”
In recent months, Minaj has also made a series of high-profile appearances linked to the Trump administration. In November 2025, she attended the United Nations and spoke about religious violence overseas as a guest of the administration.
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A month later, she appeared at Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest, where she spoke onstage with Erika Kirk and praised Trump and his team.
“I have the utmost respect and admiration for our president,” she said during the conversation. “I don’t know if he even knows this, but he’s given so many people hope.”
The Grammys are broadcasting live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on CBS or stream them live and on-demand on Paramount+.
