The Finest And Worst Moments

We will not deceive you: We did not acknowledge each single title on this yr’s Grammy nominations checklist. (There have been many, and we’re getting previous!)

However when it got here time for the Grammys broadcast on Sunday evening, we may simply acknowledge the ceremony’s greatest and worst moments, which we have gathered within the checklist under.

It would shock you that an awards present operating over three-and-a-half hours did not yield extra moments than those we’re recapping right here. However as with something essential in life, it is about high quality, not amount: The highlights have been very excessive (like Lauryn Hill & Co.’s divine tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack), whereas the lows have been actual low. (What was up with that Cher phase?)

Our checklist additionally features a Trevor Noah/Unhealthy Bunny comedy bit that went on manner too lengthy, an appropriately “Messy” acceptance speech from Lola Younger, and a wardrobe win that Teyana Taylor can add to her lengthy checklist of latest achievements.

Maintain scrolling for our takes on the 2026 Grammys ceremony, then drop a remark with your individual!

It is protected to say there weren’t too many Barbz within the viewers at this yr’s Grammy Awards. When host Trevor Noah talked about throughout his opening monologue that Nicki Minaj was not in attendance, the announcement was met with a flood of applause, laughter, and enthusiastic “woo”s from the group.

Noah assured the viewers that Minaj is “nonetheless on the White Home with Donald Trump discussing crucial points,” earlier than slipping right into a surprisingly spot-on (and profoundly unsettling) impersonation of Trump: “Truly, Nicki, I’ve the largest a**. Everyone’s saying it, Nicki. I do know they are saying it to you, but it surely’s huge. WAP, WAP, WAP. Have a look at it.”

This Grammy-wide Minaj roast comes simply days after the rapper known as herself Trump’s “primary fan,” following her controversial look at Turning Level USA’s AmericaFest convention. — Andy Swift

Final yr, the Grammys’ resolution to showcase the entire Finest New Artist nominees with a medley of their performances went on to be one of many broadcast’s highlights, giving us all the pieces from Benson Boone’s flips to Doechii’s magnetic choreography. This yr’s medley was, properly… totally different! Although there have been some highlights, like KATSEYE’s high-energy exhibiting and a chic flip from eventual class winner Olivia Dean (pictured above), the phase received slowed down in moments like Addison Rae’s clunky offstage efficiency and Alex Warren’s technical points that briefly left him singing manner behind the tempo of his music. If nothing else, this a part of the present was simply lengthy, with eight nominees all of the sudden feeling like manner too many. (Grade the medley right here.) — Rebecca Luther

With the unspeakable chaos nonetheless unfolding in Minneapolis, stars like Unhealthy Bunny and Billie Eilish wasted no time in addressing the elephant within the room when accepting their Grammys.

“Earlier than I say due to God, I am gonna say, ‘ICE out,'” Unhealthy Bunny stated, acknowledging the aggressive ways of President Trump’s immigration enforcement company and incomes a standing ovation from the group. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens,” the Puerto Rican chart-topper added. “We’re people, and we’re People.”

Eilish spoke up as properly, declaring that “nobody is against the law on stolen land” and saying one thing that received bleeped out by CBS censors however appeared an terrible lot like “F*** ICE.” It is a turbulent time proper now politically, to make certain, however these two rose to satisfy the second. — Dave Nemetz

Teyana Taylor might need misplaced her Grammy class this yr (Finest R&B Album), however so far as we’re involved, she grew to become a winner the second she stepped on stage alongside Nikki Glaser to current the award for Finest Pop Vocal Album. Not solely was her jaw-dropping look met with raucous applause from the viewers — together with a speechless stare from SZA — however the very best was but to return.

When it got here time to learn the teleprompter, Taylor pulled out a pair of glasses, eliciting a shocked (and thirsty) response from Glaser. “How do you look even hotter with glasses on?” she requested Taylor in disbelief. “Your eyes actually are up there. Typically I neglect.”

The love fest continued with a recap of Taylor’s latest accomplishments, together with her Golden Globe win, her Oscar nomination, and her flip as “Saturday Night time Dwell” host. Like we stated, a winner! — A.S.

We’ll at all times take a candidly off-the-cuff acceptance speech over a buttoned-up one, and Lola Younger gave us one such second after her music “Messy” received the Grammy for Finest Pop Solo Efficiency. After bounding on stage in shock at her win, Younger tell us that she had no speech deliberate, then stated in a single breathless burst, “Mother, I like you, I like all people, all people, everybody right here!” She additionally dropped an F-bomb whereas expressing her gratitude — and we assume whoever had their finger on the [bleep] button received a stern talking-to backstage, as they did not censor Younger’s expletive on the proper time. — R.L.

As stirring as Unhealthy Bunny’s “ICE Out” acceptance speech was, his comedy bits with host Trevor Noah fell flat. It was advantageous the primary time that Noah pressed Unhealthy Bunny to sing… although he was contractually forbidden from doing so as a result of he is performing on the Tremendous Bowl.

However then Noah and Unhealthy Bunny went again to the identical properly later for a second phase, which dragged on for what felt like ages. Even the payoff, when Unhealthy Bunny lastly sang briefly with a backup brass band, wasn’t price it. Within the time that every one that took, we may’ve watched another person truly sing, you understand. — D.N.

It is not usually that In Memoriam segments are the primary spotlight of an awards present, however the Grammys’ varied tributes on Sunday to beloved late performers — together with an homage to Ozzy Osbourne — would possibly simply have been the very best components of the published. Living proof: an look from music icon (however rare stay performer) Lauryn Hill, who honored D’Angelo and Roberta Flack not simply herself, however with assists from a shocking lineup of R&B and soul legends. It was already pleasant to see Hill again on stage, however to observe her and Wyclef Jean (!) lead the Grammys crowd in a efficiency of “Killing Me Softly With His Tune” — within the yr 2026, no much less! — was virtually surreal. — R.L.

By the point the third hour of the Grammys rolled round, our eyelids have been getting fairly heavy, which made it the proper time for CBS to tease a brand new trailer for “The Satan Wears Prada 2” (which you’ll watch in full on-line). The primary notes of Madonna’s “Vogue” immediately perked us up like an IV of black espresso, and the sight of Meryl Streep in that iconic Miranda Priestley wig made us nostalgic for 2006 in a manner we positively did not suppose we’d have been should you requested us again in 2006.

The operating gag about Miranda not remembering Andy and Emily? Good. Emily taking an inexpensive shot at Andy’s eyebrows? Consolation meals. We had our doubts about this film, as we do with all sequels, however we’re relieved to say that the runway is all of the sudden wanting a lot brighter.

(Sure, we all know this was barely in regards to the Grammys, however like we stated, it got here within the third hour. We would have liked the break!) — A.S.

Lifetime achievement awards are normally fairly huge offers at televised occasions, full with profession retrospectives and a efficiency of the artist’s biggest hits. So can somebody clarify to us why neither of these have been current for Cher’s second within the highlight on the Grammys?

Sure, the viewers gave the legend an appropriately energetic response when she took the stage, however Cher had already began talking when host Trevor Noah all of the sudden rushed into body, Grammy Award in hand. “Cher, earlier than you keep it up, forgive me for slicing you off,” he stated. “I’ll allow you to end.” He then introduced Cher because the recipient of the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award. Her speech turned out advantageous, however the place was the fanfare? The place was the joy? Why was this handled like some form of shock?

By no means thoughts that Cher tried to depart the stage earlier than asserting the nominees for File of the 12 months. Truthfully, the truth that she additionally offered an award made her Lifetime Achievement second really feel much more like an afterthought. (She would not even like speaking on stage!) — A.S.

How did you benefit from the 2026 Grammy Awards? Grade Sunday’s broadcast in our ballot under, then hit the feedback with all your reactions.