Trevor Noah hosted the 66th Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 4) and made quite the impression with his jokes about Taylor Swift that were, contrary to recent trends, not misogynistic.
The event, which honored the best recordings, compositions, and artists from October 1, 2022, to September 15, 2023, saw SZA receive the most nominations, with a total of nine. Meanwhile, Victoria Monét’s two-year-old daughter, Hazel, became the youngest nominee in Grammy Awards history.
Phoebe Bridgers was the Grammys’ biggest winner, receiving four awards, and Taylor was once again at the center of attention. Not just because she made history as the first solo artist to win Album of the Year four times, but because she was the butt of the host’s jokes, except this time, she loved it.
Trevor Noah hosted the 66th Grammy Awards and made quite the impression with his jokes about Taylor Swift
As Taylor walked into the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where the ceremony took place, Trevor pointed her out: “Are you seeing what’s happening right now? As Taylor Swift moves through the room, the local economy around those tables improves.”
The comedian further quipped: “Can you see you get this magic right now? Look at this magic. Lionel Richie, now Lionel Wealthy. Look at that.”
Despite Taylor’s relationship with athlete Travis Kelce often being weaponized to make sexist mockeries, Trevor still chose to venture into risky American football territory as he went on to make an NFL joke.
“As Taylor Swift moves through the room, the local economy around those tables improves,” Trevor joked
Turns out, it is possible to joke about anything, seeing as the South African TV personality’s punchline landed perfectly well without hurting any feelings.
He joked: “I think it is so unfair how NFL fans have been complaining about the cameras cutting to Taylor Swift like she’s controlling the cameras at the games. Alright? Let her live.”
“In fact, tonight, on Taylor’s behalf, you know what I’m going to do? I’m gonna give her a break.”
“Every time they mention Taylor Swift, I’m gonna get revenge. Every time someone says Taylor Swift, I’m gonna cut the cameras to someone who plays football. Cut, bam.”
At that exact time, the camera cut to Terry Crews, who looked very surprised but played along and shared a big smile. The actor played for the NFL from 1991 to 1997.
The camera then quickly turned over to Taylor, who was shown laughing.
Grammy viewers enjoyed every single second of Trevor’s monologue, as a person wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter): “This is how you make a joke about Taylor Swift.”
At this year’s Grammys, Taylor Swift made history by becoming the first solo artist to win Album of the Year four times
Another X user commented: “The first man at an award show to make a joke about Taylor Swift the proper way.”
A separate individual chimed in: “I would like to thank Trevor Noah for hyping the women up and skipping the misogynistic Taylor Swift jokes. I shouldn’t have to thank him, but I think we all know why.”
During the 81st Golden Globe Awards, Jo Koy infamously made jokes about the Barbie movie and Taylor, keeping a rather chauvinist undertone, which prompted outrage across social media.
The songstress, who sat at the event on January 7 with actress Keleigh Sperry, was amongst Jo’s multiple victims of the night, as he joked about her NFL game-day appearances.
“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” the 52-year-old comedian quipped.
According to the broadcasted shots of the singer, Taylor looked rather unperturbed by the joke and was spotted nonchalantly taking a sip of her drink.
During the 81st Golden Globe Awards, Jo Koy infamously made jokes about Taylor, whose reaction differed completely from the Grammys
I’m sorry I’ll be always laughing at trevor noah’s taylor swift economy jokes😭
pic.twitter.com/elviYXk5ng— kadriye (@tayspetsch) February 5, 2024
Trevor’s performance was subsequently more celebrated than Jo’s. But The Daily Show star has had some practice, as the 2024 Grammys marked the fourth year in a row that he emceed the star-studded event, as per Today.
The 39-year-old political commentator announced his return to the Grammys stage in December 2023. “I’m hosting the Grammys,” he revealed on his podcast, What Now? with Trevor Noah at the time. Trevor added, “I’m excited about that. It’s a lot of fun.”
“What a wonderful host,” a reader commented
