Trevor Noah offered his own contribution to the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce obsession while hosting the 66th Grammy Awards on Sunday.
The former “Daily Show” host returned for the fourth year in a row as host of the annual awards show – “the only concert that actually starts on time” – poking fun at some of the music industry's latest headlines, including the romance of Swift's high profile with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end.
After reveling in the star power that filled the Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, Noah turned his attention to Swift and her inescapable influence, which has recently extended beyond music.
“I think it's very unfair how NFL fans have complained about the cameras showing Taylor Swift,” he said. “In the name of Taylor, do you know what I'm going to do? “I’m going to give him a break.”
Since going public with her romance with Kelce, Swift has become a staple in coverage of NFL Chiefs games, sometimes to the frustration of fans. On Sunday, Noah proposed a solution: “Every time someone says 'Taylor Swift,' I'm going to cut off the cameras on someone who played football.”
During Noah's monologue, cameras suddenly focused on former football player and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star Terry Crews. “Do you like that, Terry Crews? “You better fix your face, Terry,” Noah said, earning laughs from the star-studded crowd, including a laugh from Swift.
At the Golden Globes last month, first-time host Jo Koy made a similar dig at the NFL's spotlight on Swift. The Grammy winner responded to Koy's joke with a sideways glance and a sip of champagne. In a post-Globes interview with The Times, Koy acknowledged that the prank fell flat.
“What hurts me the most is that I just support Taylor, I support her, I love her work,” he said. “I have nieces that I bought tickets for. There are no bad intentions in that joke.”
During his monologue, Noah called attention to Swift's chances of making Grammy history. Swift, who earned six nominations, can become the first artist to win album of the year four times.
Noah also brought his “Daily Show” skills to his monologue, mixing news with biting comedy. In his crosshairs on Sunday were threats from TikTok and Universal Music Group to remove his music from the video platform.
“You know what, TikTok? What a shame,” she said. “Shame on you for ripping off all these artists. …How dare you do that? That's Spotify's job.”
Heading into Sunday's ceremony, SZA led the field of nominees with a total of nine nominations, including nominations for song, record and album of the year. Singer Phoebe Bridgers Recording engineer Serban Ghenea and Victoria Monét followed closely with seven each. Jack Antonoff, Jon Batiste, Brandy Clark, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift each earned six nominations.
At the 66th Grammy Awards, Noah was more than just an emcee. The comedian's “I Wish You Would” was nominated for comedy album, but Dave Chappelle and his “What's in a Name” ultimately took home the award during Sunday's premiere ceremony. Chappelle was not present to collect the trophy from him.
The 66th Grammy Awards aired Sunday on CBS.
