It's safe to say that the 2025 Grammys didn't get started without a hitch. What with Kanye West crashing the awards show? But host Trevor Noah also garnered backlash during his opening monologue as well. The comedian made a joke about Shakira and immigration.
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He said, "Three time grammy winner Shakira is in the house. The greatest thing out of Columbia that isn't a felony. We have Lady Gaga in the house! She's going to be performing tonight, and she just announced her new album 'Mayhem,' which is really impressive, dropping next month. I don't know how you knew the theme of 2025 when you named your album. I was prescient of you."
That lit up a firestorm on social media sites like Twitter. Immigration is a hot-button issue in the country. During the election, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe garnered controversy for making a joke about Puerto Rico being trash. Although Noah falls on the Left side of the political spectrum, the joke likewise felt of a similar vein.
Trevor Noah Backlash
I mean look how he treats Taylor Swift by comparison. He said, "Congratulations. Taylor Swift is here, Jack Antonoff — look at this table! Are you kidding me? Taylor Swift, fresh off the biggest world tour in history. In history, people. Not only did Taylor crush the record books."
Noah drew plenty of backlash online with many taking issue with the joke.
One wrote, "That tasteless joke about illegal Immigrants was so unnecessary. Do better Trevor Noah!"
Another wrote, "So the Grammys already start out with an insult to Colombia when Trevor Noah mentions Shakira."
Yet another wrote, "That's comedy to you? @Trevornoah do better."
However, one person did write, "I don't know why they are surprised by Trevor Noah's comment, because while Shakira cleaned up Colombia's image at its worst, Karol G and company have been responsible for creating the perception that the country is a dumping ground for drugs and prostitutes."
Meanwhile, to make matters worse, the Grammys fell on Shakira's birthday. So Noah's joke stings on more than just one front.
