President Trump Reacts to Trevor Noah's Grammy Joke about Him

President Trump has twice addressed a joke made by Trevor Noah during the Grammy Awards. His remarks focus on denying a claim referenced during the broadcast.

Trevor Noah made the remark while hosting the Grammy Awards on Sunday, February one. He delivered the joke during the presentation of the song of the year award.

"That is a Grammy that every artist wants, almost as much as Trump wants Greenland. Which makes sense. I mean, because Epstein's island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton," Noah said.

After the audience reacted, Noah added, "Oh, I told you, it's my last year. What are you going to do about it?"

Trump Responds on Truth Social

Later, President Trump addressed the comment in a post on Truth Social. He criticized the Grammy Awards and the host.

"The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable!" Trump wrote. "CBS is lucky not to have this garbage litter their airwaves any longer."

He continued, "The host, Trevor Noah, whoever he may be, is almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards."

Denial of the Epstein Reference

Trump disputed the claim referenced in the joke. "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 added. "Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast."

Legal Threats in the Post

The post then mentioned possible legal action. "It looks like I'll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$," Trump wrote.

He also wrote, "Ask Little George Slopadopolus, and others, how that all worked out. Also ask CBS! Get ready Noah, I'm going to have some fun with you!"

Questioned by Reporters the Next Day

The following day, reporters asked Trump about the matter. A reporter asked, "Mr. President, are you going to sue Trevor Noah? Last night, in a post, you alluded that something could be coming."

Trump responded, "Well, he said that. He said that I spent time on Jeffrey Epstein's island. I didn't."

Criticism of the Grammys and the Host

Trump then commented on Noah's performance at the ceremony. "I thought he did a terrible job at the Grammys," he said.

"I thought the whole Grammys was terrible. I watched part of it. It's not watchable, but he was a lousy host," he added. "I'd say not as bad as Jimmy Kimmel, but pretty close."

Trump's mention of Jimmy Kimmel was not incidental. Kimmel has previously drawn attention for remarks directed at the president, placing him among comedians who have publicly found themselves at odds with Trump.

The president's reference precedes another widely noted moment involving the comedian. On a warm Thursday afternoon, September 18, 2025, in Los Angeles, the acclaimed talk show host made a public appearance, just one day after ABC abruptly pulled the plug on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

What appeared to be a stop at his attorney's office quickly spiraled into a full-blown online firestorm, as photos of the late-night host emerged showing what some netizens believed to be a defeated man behind the wheel of his car.

Behind the Smile: Netizens Say Jimmy Kimmel Is 'Hiding the Tears'

Clad in a crisp navy button-down and black slacks, Kimmel, 57, was seen stepping out of a sleek black Audi — but the swagger, online viewers believe, was gone.

Clutching a notepad, car keys, and a wallet, and wearing dark sunglasses, the host gave a brief smile to waiting photographers. Still, his demeanor did not go unnoticed by online spectators. One particular moment, captured as he sat behind the wheel, showed the late-night host with his head against his hand and a blank expression on his face.

Kimmel's outing quickly sparked debate online, with spectators dissecting everything from his facial expression to his overall demeanor. Some were convinced there was more beneath the surface.

"Looks like he's been crying 🙁," remarked one commenter, while another suggested, "He's smiling, but he's crying inside." Echoing that sentiment, someone else added, "Hiding the tears." Others noted a perceived change in his appearance, with one person stating, "Doesn't look like Jimmy Kimmel."

Meanwhile, not everyone agreed with the somber interpretations. "The guy looks happy like he needed the break from abc [sic] lol," opined one netizen. "He seems ok," observed another, while a more upbeat viewer chimed in with, "Unbothered 🔥🔥🔥🔥🙌 love it." One comment, laced with irony, read, "The smile of a man that's never going to have to work a day in his life again 😂."

ABC Pulled the Plug…Indefinitely

The public sighting follows confirmation made on Wednesday, September 17, from Disney's ABC that it would be suspending "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" from its schedule indefinitely.

The sudden move follows a bombshell announcement from Nexstar Media Group — the country's largest local broadcast company — refusing to air Kimmel's show across more than 200 television stations it controls in 116 markets.

In a pointed statement shared with People, Nexstar clarified that its ABC-affiliated stations would "preempt 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' for the foreseeable future, beginning with tonight's show."

Nexstar didn't mince words, as the company also stated that it "strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets."

The Monologue That Changed Everything

At the center of the firestorm is Kimmel's Monday night monologue, where he addressed the political discourse surrounding Charlie Kirk's assassination.

"We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it," Kimmel said during the show.

He continued, "In between the finger-pointing, the White House flew the flag at half-staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president was taking this."

The broadcast then cut to footage of U.S. President Donald Trump — outside the White House, coolly responding to questions about how he was coping with Kirk's death.

Trump responded, "I think very good. And by the way [...] They've just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House, which is something they've been trying to get [...] for about 150 years, and it's going to be a beauty."

Returning to the studio, Kimmel retorted, "Yes, he's at the fourth stage of grief, construction. Demolition. Construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish. OK? And it didn't just happen once."

Donald Trump Hits Back: 'They Should Have Fired Him a Long Time Ago'

By Thursday, September 18, Trump offered no sympathy for the suspended comedian during a joint press conference with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Chequers, England.

When asked by a British reporter about the state of free speech and Kimmel's dismissal, Donald Trump unleashed a brutal assessment.

"Well, Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else," he stated. "And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk, and Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person [...] They should have fired him a long time ago. So, you know, you can call that free speech or not, he was fired for lack of talent."