Trump threatens to sue Trevor Noah over Epstein joke at Grammys
FILE-Host Trevor Noah speaks onstage during the 68th Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
President Donald Trump condemned the Grammy Awards and threatened legal action against the host, Trevor Noah, in response to a joke the comedian made during Sunday night’s event.
In a post on his Truth Social platform early Monday morning, Trump blamed Noah for making "false and defamatory" statements that apparently connected him to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump’s response to Noah’s Grammys joke
What they're saying:
President Donald Trump had a retort to Trevor Noah’s quip during Sunday night’s Grammy Awards ceremony, writing in part:
"The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable! CBS is lucky not to have this garbage litter their airwaves any longer. The host, Trevor Noah, whoever he may be, is almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards."
RELATED: New photos of Epstein's private island released by House Democrats
Trump continued, "Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island. WRONG!!! I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media. He later added in his post "Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you! President DJT"
What did Trevor Noah say about Trump at the Grammys?
The other side:
Trevor Noah made a joke about President Donald Trump on Sunday night after he announced the winner for song of the year, according to Newsweek, which cited his remarks during the event with Noah saying the following:
"There you have it, song of the year! Congratulations, Billie Eilish. Wow. That's a Grammy that every artist wants, almost as much as Trump wants Greenland," Noah said. "Which makes sense because, since Epstein's gone, he needs a new island to hang out with Bill Clinton. I told you, it's my last year! What are you going to do about it?"
Newsweek noted that the comedian also made other remarks about Trump throughout the Grammys, including mocking talks of Trump running for a third term in office.
Who is Jeffrey Epstein?
The backstory:
Jeffrey Epstein was a wealthy financier known for socializing with billionaires, celebrities, and politicians, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
Epstein was first accused of sexually abusing underage girls in 2005, but he made a secret deal with the U.S. attorney in Florida to avoid federal charges, allowing him to plead guilty in 2008 to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge. Epstein served 13 months in a jail work-release program.
RELATED: Epstein emails say Trump 'spent hours' with one of Epstein's victims
In 2019, Manhattan federal prosecutors revived the case and charged Epstein with sex trafficking, alleging he sexually abused dozens of girls. He killed himself in jail a month after his arrest. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime confidante and ex-girlfriend, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping recruit some of his underage victims.
In December 2025, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released "never-before-seen" photos and videos of Epstein’s private island. At the time, the committee members said that the new images from Epstein’s compound in the U.S. Virgin Islands provide "a harrowing look behind Epstein’s closed doors."
Weeks later, the Epstein files were released on Dec. 19 after Trump signed legislation compelling the Justice Department to give the public everything it had on Epstein.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by a Trump Truth Social post, previous LIVENOW from FOX reporting, The New York Times, and Newsweek, which cites Trevor Noah’s comments about Trump during the Grammy Awards.